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COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS PLANNING GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1. An Introduction to Community Conversations
Engaging your Community through Dialogue Public Agendas Community Conversation Model Outcomes of Past Community Conversation Initiatives page 3 page 4 page 6

Section 2. Creating the Planning Team


Creating the Planning Team Explaining the Initiative to Potential Planning Team Members Community Conversation Organizing Structure page 8 page 10 page 11

Section 3. Strategic Considerations


Choosing and Customizing your Topic Defining Community, Planning a Single Conversation or a Series Multilingual Forums, Inviting Observers and Involving the Media Section 4. Practical Considerations Budget and Funding Estimated Budget Table Planning Team Task List and Timeline page 19 page 19 page 20 page 13 page 14 page 15

Section 5. Recruiting Participants


Part 1. Whom to Invite and How to Gain Participation Part 2. Participant Recruitment and Pre-Registration Part 3. Participant Materials page 24 page 24 page 26

Section 6. Organizing the Nuts and Bolts (Logistics)


Part 1. Organizing and Planning in Advance Equipment Checklist Part 2. Day-of-Event Coordination page 27 page 28 page 29

Section 7. Managing Moderators, Recorders and Host


Part 1. Managing Moderators and Recorders Part 2. Managing the Opening and Closing, role of the Host page 31 page 35

Section 8. Coordinating Strategic Communications and Follow-up


Part 1. Communications and External Relations Part 2. Linking Dialogue to Action Guide for Writing a Summary Report Part 3. Expanding and Institutionalizing the Dialogue Process page 36 page 38 page 40 page 42

Appendices
Appendix 1: Participant Survey (in English and Spanish) Appendix 2: Moderator/Recorder Guide (in English and Spanish) Appendix 3: Host Guide page 45 page 55 page 83

SECTION 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS


This section begins by explaining how Community Conversations can be integrated into efforts to engage your community on a critical issue at hand. It also provides an overview of Public Agendas Community Conversation model. Finally, it describes the outcomes of several past Community Conversations in a variety of settings.

Why and How to Engage Your Community Through Dialogue


Todays leaders and officials are in the business of managing the public, often through various forms of pseudo-engagement such as carefully staged and tightly controlled town halls. Rather than being given the opportunity to understand the pros and cons of different policy options, the public is on the receiving end of focus group-tested slogans and talking points. While these strategies sometimes work in the short term, over time they leave people feeling manipulated and suspicious. And they hinder people from thinking effectively about the problems and challenges facing their communities and the nation. In our experience, real dialogue and deliberation can be powerful tools to aid community engagement efforts, and help make progress on a difficult issue facing the community. By engagement we mean more than simply communicating with the community to keep them informed about an issue and invite their buy-in on a predetermined solution. Rather, we mean involving community stakeholders early, often, creatively and authentically in problem-solving and policy-making processes. Community Conversations can have concrete impacts in various ways, from informing district practices and government policies, to catalyzing collaborations across existing community organizations and programs, and creating new citizen-led initiatives. This Planning Guide will provide step-by-step instructions for applying a tested model for community engagement through dynamic, productive conversations about a critical issue.

Public Agendas Community Conversations Model


Public Agendas approach to community dialogue involves several key principles and guidelines that can be applied flexibly to different settings. Each of these principles is discussed in detail in various sections throughout this planning guide.

Local, Nonpartisan Planners and Sponsors


You will be most successful recruiting diverse participants and creating powerful follow-up if you enlist the help of other community-based organizations and institutions. A community coalition, in other words, is generally the most successful entity for organizing a Community Conversation.

Diverse Participants: Beyond the Usual Suspects


True Community Conversations should include a broad cross section of participants, not just the professional community and a few well-known concerned citizens. The goal is to include average citizens as well as experts and professionals and to ensure that all groups and stakeholders are represented and heard from.

Dialogue in Small, Diverse Groups with Trained Moderators and Recorders


A genuine exchange of views can best occur in small diverse groups, with well-trained nonpartisan moderators to facilitate the dialogue and recorders who document the proceedings for effective follow-up.

The Power of Choicework


Public Agenda has developed a range of Choicework discussion starters on various topics. These discussion starters are organized around giving people alternative ways of thinking about an issue, or what Public Agenda refers to as Choicework. We have found Choicework to be an exceptionally effective way of providing people with a structure for engaging in an issue with which they may have little experience. To find a Choicework that is appropriate for your Community Conversation, visit www.publicagenda.org/publicengagement and click on Choicework Discussion Starters or contact publicengagement@publicagenda.org to find out how Public Agenda can create a custom Choicework for your community.

Follow-Up
It is important that a Community Conversation be part of a process that includes action and follow-up. If it is only a single meeting that comes and goes, with no discernible connection to decision makers or policy on the ground, then it will have been of little value. Thus, a major focus of this guide is how to connect these dialogues to action through effective follow-up activities.

Picturing a Community Conversation


Each Community Conversation should be a significant eventthis is more than just a small meeting. Typically, it will have somewhere between 60 and 120 participants. The session usually begins with a meal and is followed by welcoming remarks by the conversations sponsors or planners, after which participants move into small discussion groups of about 12 to 14 people each. (Note: it is also possible to end with a meal, after the small group discussions have concluded.) Each group should be as diverse and representative of the community as possible. The small group discussion is designed to take about two hours; the entire event will take about four hours. The basic structure of an evening Community Conversation is as follows: 5:30 6:10 6:10 6:30 Registration, Dinner Introduction (large group) Host provides welcome, purpose, agenda overview, and instructions for breaking into small groups. 6:30 8:30 Small group discussion Groups of 12-14, each with a trained moderator, recorder and Choicework discussion starter materials. 6:30 6:40 7:20 7:30 Overview, introductions, ground rules Presentation/discussion of Choicework materials Interim Summary on Common Ground, Concerns/Disagreements, Outstanding Questions Bridging From Dialogue to Action (Using a question like How can our community work together to make progress on this issue?) Prioritize Action Ideas Next Steps Finish, participants fill out survey

8:00 8:10 8:20 8:30 9:00

Report Out (large group) Moderators or participants share highlights from each group Host discusses plans to follow up on the conversation

Outcomes of Past Community Conversation Initiatives


Outcomes of Community Conversations are as varied as the communities and issues themselves. In every case, real change is the result of strategic follow-up to Community Conversations that builds effectively on the momentum and priority action areas generated by the dialogues. The outcomes for your community will depend on your advance planning for follow-up, the ideas and insights that emerge from the conversations and the ways in which the sponsoring organizations and individual participants take advantage of the process. Following are a few examples of outcomes from past Community Conversations:

San Jose, CA
In San Jose, CA, community engagement activities by the district and its community partners began with a series of focus groups with parents, students and teachers (including two Spanish-language groups) and a district-wide Community Conversation on Academic Standards and Expectations. In response, the district raised graduation requirements and developed an action plan to increase parental involvement. Additionally, it put in place a variety of engagement mechanisms, including annual neighborhood conversations on a range of school-related issues, an annual survey of students and parents, a monthly brown bag lunch where anyone can show up to join the superintendent for a discussion about education issues, and an e-mail complaint/suggestion process for parents. It institutionalized its commitment to community engagement by splitting its Communications Department into two functions, one being traditional communications and the other devoted to community engagement.

Connecticut Community Conversations Project


Over a hundred communities in Connecticut have become part of the states Community Conversations Project, launched to change the conversation on education in Connecticut. A sampling of the activities that have evolved through this community-based work across the state include the following: In Bridgeport, 800 individuals volunteered to read to children in the public schools, school leadership teams (which were then dormant) were reinstituted, giving parents a greater voice in school and after-school policies, and an anti-bullying policy was adopted. In West Hartford, a Community Conversation process contributed to the local Board of Education adopting a four-year-plan for initiating an educational program for all four-year olds. In Putnam, a corps of high-school volunteers was established to teach basic computer skills to town residents and the new school auditorium was made available for community events so that community members would feel more comfortable interacting with the schools. In Brookfield, a community dialogue on Purposes of Education led to five task forces to pursue the major themes that emerged: parental involvement, love of learning, diversity, understanding and core values, community involvement, and communications.

Steubenville, OH
In 2006, Jefferson Community College (JCC) and several community partners hosted a Community Conversation on Student Success as part of the Achieving the Dream initiative. The initial conversation led to several concrete recommendations and actions by the college. Responding to recommendations that the college expand its outreach efforts to area high school students, the college expanded its advising/recruitment staff to include two JCC graduates who visit high schools on behalf of the college. Another recommendation of the conversation was to strengthen connections between high school and college faculty. In response, the college expanded its High School Teacher Expo, an annual event where teachers come to the college to visit and hear classroom presentations by college faculty. Participation since the conversation has grown from 25 to 60 teachers annually. A second Community Conversation, held in October 2008, resulted in the establishment of a new college-school committee to plan further steps to improve college readiness and school-college partnerships.

Gallup, NM
A College-and-Community Leadership Team was established at the University of New Mexico in Gallup, NM to engage the community and implement actions in support of community college student success. The team created a historical time line representing the first merged history for the Gallup area which includes the Native tribes, as well as the Hispanic and Anglo legacy in the region. The timeline was shared with the public schools and will be utilized in history courses at the community college. The Team held its first Talking Circle in 2008 and the college established a Student Success Committee to address the recommendations made by participants. The college also applied for a U.S. Department of Education grant focusing on implementing some of the interventions on campus suggested at the Talking Circle and cited the Conversation in support of its application. The grant would fund the development of culturally relevant curriculum, the establishment of College Success centers in the region and the hiring of high school and college students to serve as tutors at these centers.

McAllen, TX
South Texas Community College and its community partners have held two Community Conversations, one largely with business and educator participation and another with primarily community, student and family participation. This work has led to a video production program to create material to put on PBS to stoke motivation and provide information around college readiness. The college president has also formed and leads a taskforce to raise funds for adult basic education courses and GED- acquisition, and some of this work is reaching across the border to partner with Mexican institutions. The community engagement work has also led to the creation of an Instruction Research Team to examine ways of addressing instructor attitudes that have been identified as barriers to student success. The college is institutionalizing and broadening its community outreach and partnerships via a newly formed Community Engagement Department, a community engagement blog and a new partnership with the National Hispanic Institute to engage high school students and their parents on college readiness issues.

SECTION 2: CREATING THE PLANNING TEAM


Section 2 explains the first step in organizing a Community Conversation initiativethe creation of a Planning Team.

Creating the Planning Team


The Planning Team is responsible for the actual work of organizing the Community Conversation as well as making sure that appropriate follow-up takes place in a timely manner. The team should be a diverse group of individuals who are interested in the project, bring a variety of skills and resources to the table, and are willing to commit the time necessary over the next few months to make it happen. The Planning Team should include people with access to and credibility with various important segments of the populations you want to participate in the conversation, including those who are typically uninvolved in or excluded from local decision making.

What Does the Planning Team Do?


Makes major strategic decisions, including topic selection and additional customization of discussion materials, selects conversation location, decides on media policy and so forth. Spearheads communications efforts (in coordination with workgroups) such as developing talking points, promotional materials and media guidelines. Creates workgroups to manage the various planning tasks, drawing from its ranks and recruiting additional people as needed to get the job done. Coordinates and executes follow up activities such as mailing of thank you letters, drafting and distributing of conversation summary report, and other follow up activities.

Who Should Be on the Planning Team?


Community Conversations are most successful when a diverse group of stakeholders is involved in the planning process. Although one organization may be taking a leadership role in the planning effort, Community Conversations work best if they are presented and run by a coalition of local institutions and organizations. Doing so gives the initiative broader reach into the community and communicates that the conversation will be open to multiple interests and viewpoints. Wider sponsorship brings a greater variety of skill sets to the proceedings and opens up possibilities for long-term partnerships and follow-up.

TIP
Use a variety of methods to recruit members, and keep in mind that a personal invitation is often the best.

Plan for about 5-10 different community organizations/institutions to join the planning team, which should have about 12-20 members. Your organization may have a community relations officer of some kind, and it will likely make sense to include that person. Beyond this, whom might you recruit to the initiative? Depending on what issue you are focusing on and which key stakeholders you wish to target, you may want to consider approaching the following potential community partners: Local businesses or the Chamber of Commerce. The local K12 public school district and/or local two- and four-year colleges. Local service organizations, such as a local chapter of the Urban League, the YMCA, religious institutions, etc. Local government officials. Respected active citizens who have worked with you in the past, or with whom you would like to develop a relationship. A local foundation or philanthropic initiative in your community.

This is a great opportunity to reach out to organizations and potential partners with whom you may not have worked with in the past. It is very important to create a true team of people who will take responsibility for various aspects of the work involved. Both your Community Conversation and your long term possibilities for follow-up work will benefit. It takes some extra planning up front to bring a good mix of community interests on board, but it is worth the time to make this a true community effort. Its a good idea to consider some unlikely partners: people and organizations of different experiences, backgrounds and maybe political leanings. Planners do not have to agree on politics or policy, as long as they agree that community dialogue is an important way to help tackle community challenges. Its critical to think about who will be able to implement the action ideas that emerge from the conversation and to involve them from the beginning.

TIP
Think about involving informal leaders who may not have a title or an official position but are respected and trusted in their community.

A NOTE ON ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION SPONSORS:


There may be additional organizations and/or individuals that youd like to invite to the table, who for one reason or another may be unable to join the planning team or provide staff but who would be interested in lending their name and general support or endorsement to the endeavor. We suggest you think of these groups as sponsors, and you can list their names in your materials and communications about the conversation. Sometimes its a good idea to reach out to certain groups or organizations for political reasons, or to help diversify your team. Of course, its always preferable if they can join the planning team, but if they cant, offer to include them as a sponsor.

Explaining the Initiative to Potential Planning Team Members or Sponsors


Its best to be ready with a brief and straightforward pitch that explains the purpose of the Community Conversation and why you are hoping they will want to get involved, and what that involvement will entail. Your talking points might include the following: We are organizing a Community Conversation about [a critical issue to the community]. It is based on a model of public engagement developed by the organization Public Agenda, which has been used in hundreds of communities nationwide. The model is carefully designed to be: inclusive, going beyond the usual suspects to include a true cross section of stakeholders and community members. productive, with trained moderators and recorders working with small groups of diverse participants, using carefully prepared discussion materials. Results of the conversation will be used to: Further refine our understanding of the issues and help generate solutions. Build support for efforts already in place and for developing new plans /initiatives. Forge new community relationships and strengthen existing partnerships. It is best to explain the Community Conversation initiative in a way that will make sense to the people you are talking toin other words, that will relate to their personal background , their work in the community, or their organizations mission or goals. Help them see how their involvement in the process can enable them to further the work they are already doing, as well as contribute to the community overall. Its important that members of the Planning team or other sponsors understand this isnt a typical public relations event. Make sure they are comfortable with the idea that this is an open dialogue and not about selling predetermined solutions.

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Community Conversation Organizing Structure


Your Planning Team should begin the planning process with a 3-4 hour Planning Workshop to review the Community Conversation model, set the goals of your conversation, make some key strategic and practical decisions and divide into workgroups to follow through on various planning tasks. A sample agenda for a Community Conversation Planning Workshop is below, but feel free to customize based on your situation.

Community Conversation Planning Workshop


4:00pm-7:30pm

Agenda
4:00-4:30pm Introductions/Opening Remarks Review Todays Agenda 4:30-5:00pm Community Conversations An Engagement Strategy for Change Intro to: Community Conversation Model Community Conversation Structure Choicework Video and Discussion Starter Watch Community Conversations communications video What results typically come out of a Community Conversation? What are the results we want for our community? 5:00-5:30pm Planning for the Results We Want: Strategic Decisions Strategic Decision 1: Creation of Planning Team and other sponsors Strategic Decision 2: Customizing the Conversation Content Remaining Strategic Decisions 5:30-6:00pm 6:00-6:30pm Break and Dinner/Refreshments Planning for the Results We Want: Critical Tasks Critical Task 1: Recruiting Participants Critical Task 2: Recruiting Moderators and Recorders 6:30-7:00pm Critical Task 3: Nuts and Bolts Critical Task 4: Managing Communications and Strategic Follow Up 7:00-7:20pm Confirm Workgroups, Discuss Next Steps Review Strategic Decisions and Planning Timeline 7:20-7:30pm Final Questions and Wrap Up

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After the initial Planning Workshop, members of the Planning Team should try to meet or communicate regularlyideally once a weekto make sure planning stays on track and to give the workgroups an opportunity to share their progress with the whole group as well as voice questions and concerns. Its up to each workgroup to decide how often they need to meet to accomplish their tasks. It is a helpful practice to designate someone as the primary liaison and coordinator for the Planning Team. And it usually makes sense to divide the responsibilities among five main workgroups (see Community Conversations Organizers Chart below) so that no one person or organization bears the entire burden. Each workgroup should also have someone play the role of liaison to the Planning Team.

Planning Team

Recruiting Participants Workgroup

Logistics Workgroup

Moderators/Recorders Workgroup

Communications and Follow-up Workgroup

Recruiting Participants Should be composed of diverse members with knowledge of, and standing in, the various sectors of the community you wish to recruit. Implements recruitment plan, including distributing fliers, making follow-up phone calls. Keeps track of participant registration in advance of event; pre-assigns registered participants to small discussion groups. Organizing the Nuts and Bolts (Logistics) Selects/secures location for the Community Conversation. Coordinates meal and meal-related needs. Ensures that all necessary equipment and supplies are prepared and in place. Sets event timeline and oversees day-of-event staffing, including: participant registration, equipment and venue set-up/clean-up, and provides support and troubleshooting to other workgroups. Managing Moderators, Recorders and Host Recruits and plans training for moderators and recorders. Plans and manages moderating needs for all opening and closing plenary sessions, which should be coordinated with the Logistics workgroup. Coordinating Strategic Communications and Follow-up Creates basic communications tools and products, such as talking points for recruiting participants, a flier/invitation to the event, a pitch letter to explain the event to potential partners and allies. Manages media relations. Creates a post-forum summary report and leads post-forum communications with participants. Communicates with participants about action opportunities both before and after the event (for instance, making people aware of organizations and events relevant to the forums theme), organizing follow-up task forces that forum participants can join and so forth.

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SECTION 3: STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS


This section discusses a number of strategic decisions that the Planning Team needs to consider: Choosing and customizing the topic. Defining community for the purposes of this conversation. Are you planning a single conversation or a series? Will your conversation be monolingual or multilingual? How can you make the conversation accessible for everyone who wants to attend? Will you invite observers, and if so, whom? Will you involve the media, and if so, how? Are there critical strategic considerations unique to your situation?

Choosing and Customizing Your Topic


A critical task for Community Conversation organizers is to select and frame the topic for discussion. We recommends using a Choicework approach, using discussion starter materials specially designed by Public Agenda. These discussion starters invite people to consider several ways to address a particular concern or need, which is a great way to get the conversation going. Public Agenda has a variety of discussion starters available for your use. To find a Choicework that is appropriate for your Community Conversation, visit www.publicagenda.org/publicengagement and click on Choicework Discussion Starters or contact publicengagement@publicagenda.org to find out how Public Agenda can create a custom Choicework for your community. Because our Choicework discussion starters have been carefully pretested and most are available in video as well as in print format (often in English and Spanish language), we advise you to start with a Choicework from Public Agenda before developing your own. With some experience, or through a training on framing issues for deliberation, you may be able to design your own Choicework discussion starter for future conversations.

Customizing Your Discussion


Public Agendas Choicework discussion framework is meant only to get the conversation going, and there is plenty of room to customize the discussion to cover issues that are important to your community. The material can be customized by developing specific probes (questions that moderators keep in mind and ask during the small group discussion) that can explore how a larger theme of the discussion relates to a given communitys specific situation and concerns. An even more powerful way to customize the materials is to design a subsection of the dialogue that addresses the specific concerns of a given community. This is usually done as a Part 2: Bridging from Dialogue to Action following initial discussion using the Choicework framework.

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Examples of Part 2: Bridging from Dialogue to Action discussion topics: How can our community work together to make progress on this issue? Our community is about to implement a new initiative. Wed like to tell you about it, get your feedback and see if there are ways youd like to participate. What specific strategies should our community leadership adopt that would make the greatest impact on the issue at hand, and how can community members be involved?

In this way, the conversation will combine materials that have been tested in focus groups and previous conversations (that is, the Choicework) with enough customization to make sure each community can adapt the proceedings to best fit its situation and goals. We believe that balancing both these elements (pretested materials and customization) offers the best recipe for successful conversations.

Defining Community for the Purposes of This Conversation


An important early step in your planning concerns the size and composition of the community you wish to engage. One question here has to do with the scope of the community you are engaging. If you are organizing a Community Conversation, will the conversation be based in a single neighborhood, within a single town, or around a region encompassing communities? Small and medium sized communities can have successful community-wide forums, although local organizers who begin community-wide often want to follow up with more local, neighborhood-based conversations. In large urban centers, it may make more sense to plan a series of neighborhood-based forums, in order to narrow the scope to a level that average residents can relate to. There is no one way to think about this. Rather, it is something that you should decide for yourselves based on your goals and your knowledge of the local culture. Another question concerns how you conceive of the community members you wish to include. The Recruiting Participants section is concerned primarily with helping you think about whom to invite and how to do so effectively. Turn to that section for further thoughts and guidelines on this crucial subject.

Are You Planning a Single Community Conversation or a Series?


A related consideration is whether you want to plan a single conversation and then pause to assess how best to follow up or, alternatively, arrange a series of conversations from the start. If you are interested in the series idea, there are a few options to consider. One is to apportion several full-scale conversations over a predetermined period of time. Another is to organize one full-scale conversation and then hold several smaller, satellite conversations; this will provide some scale to your effort, allow you to reach specific sectors of the community and keep your workload manageable. (For more information and detail on the question of multiple forums, see section 8 of this guide.)

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Will Your Community Conversation Be Monolingual or Multilingual?


In many cities and towns across the country, non-native English speakers or those with limited to no English are a large and vital part of the community. It is very important to the success and overall credibility of your initiative that you make provisions for involving those community members. While multilingual forums present some challenges, they are not insurmountable.

Structuring the Conversation to Include Non-English Speakers


To begin with, you will have to decide whether to organize discussion groups by languagein which case you will need to provide a bilingual moderator and recorder (who have participated in the moderator/recorder training)or have non-English speakers mixed in with the others but provide translators for each small group. Mixing non-English-speaking and English-speaking participants in the same group offers the greatest diversity. On the other hand, having same-language groups eases the flow of conversation for English and non-English speakers alike. In our experience, planners have most often chosen to provide simultaneous translation during the opening and closing plenary sessions and to create one or two nonEnglish-language breakout groups so that non-English speakers can experience a free-flowing dialogue. Whichever approach you choose, make sure: You have enough translators and bilingual moderators. Participant materials are translated. Interpreters are available during the opening and closing plenary sessions, either at the front of the room or at the table with the non-English-speaking residents.

How Can You Make the Conversation Accessible for Everyone Who Wants to Attend?
Of course, youll want the conversation to be held in a well-known, accessible location that people will feel comfortable visiting during whatever time of day the meeting takes place. What else can you do to make it possible for virtually everyone to attend? Can you, for instance, provide some assistance for participants with transportation and/or with child care? Of course, there are limits to how far organizers can go to make things accessible. Time and money can be factors. Depending on the facility, there may not be appropriate space for child care. But these are questions you will want to think about.

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Will You Invite Observers, and If So, Whom?


Observers might be community leaders such as town council members; mayors; education leaders such as K12 superintendents and college presidents; and others who will attend the discussion groups to listen and observe the proceedings but not participate actively. This is not to say that such people should necessarily be observers rather than regular participants; rather, it is an option that might be preferable for you and/or for them. In some instances, a public official or authority figure like the college president could become a distraction if the group focuses more on that person than on the issue under discussion, and it may be best for that person not to be present. In other cases, such individuals have felt comfortable staying in the background and just listening. Authorities and leaders rarely get to hear from a broad cross section of the community in great depth without feeling as if they are on the spot to respond. In still other cases, local leaders have participated effectively in the discussions and everyone seemed perfectly comfortable with it. You might consider asking one of the observers to speak briefly at the closing plenary session, sharing his or her perceptions of the session. And you should definitely plan to meet with observers after the event and include them in your plans for follow-up.

TIP
If you do include observers, inform your moderators so theyll be ready. Assign observers to specific discussion groups so no one room is overloadedno more than two or three observers per room is a good rule of thumb. Make sure chairs are set up for observers outside the circle of participants. It is also important to brief observers about whats expected of themthat they are invited as distinguished guests and are asked to observe and not participate (explain why) during the small group discussion.

Will You Involve the Media, and If So, How?


Occasionally, a local media outlet has acted as a cosponsor of a Community Conversation and is therefore part of things from the beginning. But more typically, organizers need to decide if they want to involve the media and how. Also, you must be prepared to respond to the media if they become interested in your project. In general, media coverage has been very positive, so unless there are specific reasons to assume the media will be hostile, you do not need to be overly anxious about bad press.

TIP
Be ready for press inquiries that might come your way. Consider preparing a brief, clear statement or series of talking points about the purpose of the forums, the sponsors and organizers, when and where theyll occur and so forth. Share talking points with all those on the Planning Team likely to encounter the press. For an example, see page 15.

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The most important issue related to the media is how to protect the quality of the conversations. Participants who see the press in attendance may feel less comfortable expressing themselves or advocating a position. One way to handle this is with a simple ground rule that reporters usually agree to abide by: Reporters may report what they hear, but they may not attribute quotes to individuals unless they speak to that person following the meeting and the person agrees to be quoted.

TIP
Occasionally, a reporter or member of the media may show up unannounced to the conversation. Make sure you prepare the moderators for this possibility and let them know that if this happens, they should explain the ground rules to the reporter and secure an agreement to abide by them; also make sure there are no objections within the small discussion group itself.

If the media are present under these conditions, the moderator should inform the group at the outset. The same ground rules that you lay out for reporters can also be applied to bloggers, should you have any who wish to attend and blog the discussion, either during or after the event.

Frequently Asked Questions


1. How do we get media coverage for our Community Conversation? Alert the media about the conversation through a press release or media advisory. If you decide, you can also invite reporters to cover the conversation itself. Ask a member or members of the planning team to write an opinion piece for the local newspaper calling attention to the issue and the upcoming conversation. 2. What if a news article isnt accurate or gives the wrong impression? Make every effort to provide reporters with the most accurate, up-to-date information possible, and try not to have too many people in contact with reporters. In fact, you might think about designating a spokesperson, someone who will be the main point of contact with the media. Nevertheless, mistakes do happen. If one does, be sure to call the reporter or editor and ask to have the misinformation corrected. Even if the paper doesnt publish a correction, it will hopefully not repeat the mistake in any future stories.

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Are There Critical Strategic Considerations Unique to Your Situation?


The strategic questions and considerations weve discussed so far are almost always important themes for Planning Team discussion, regardless of the community. But your community may be subject to unique dynamics that you should be aware of and prepare for. For example: Are there hot button issues in the community that are liable to emerge? If so, how can you prepare for them? Is it election season, and if so, is that a factor to take into account? Are there racial or other social tensions in the community that should be thought through? What is the perception of the sponsoring organization(s) in the community? Are there any particularly challenging community leaders or groups that will need special attention? Are there any special opportunities that the Community Conversation could help you take advantage of? For instance, perhaps a new community foundation has formed or a new school board has been elected. Including such stakeholders as co-sponsors or observers could be a good way to build new relationships.

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SECTION 4: PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS


Section 4 provides an overview and timelines for many of the practical tasks that must be accomplished, from drawing up a budget to recruiting and training moderators. While many of these tasks can be handled by one of the workgroups, its a good idea for everyone on the Planning Team to understand the entire process.

Budget and Funding


The following template may help you create a budget for the forum(s). It is possible to ask for and receive in-kind donations from community organizations or local businesses for some of these items, such as space, food or printing expenses. You should designate one or two individuals from the Planning Team to develop an overall budget as well as budgets for each workgroup.

Community Conversation Estimated Budget Table


Item Outreach Materials Printing/mailing Invitation, flyers, etc. Conversation Materials Copies of Participant Guide, Participant Survey, Program/Agenda, etc. Flip charts, markers, stickers for small group discussions Conversation Food and Location Food and drinks for conversation Venue rental (if needed) Moderator Training Copies of Moderator Guide and other training materials Food/refreshments for training attendees Planning Team Meetings Food/refreshments for Planning Team meetings Other: Estimated Cost Notes

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Planning Tasks and Timeline


You should start planning your Community Conversation at least two months in advance, preferably three. This sample timeline and task list is meant as a rough guide to help you get started. Detailed information on these tasks and other practical considerations are included in subsequent sections.

10-12 weeks before Community Conversation Establish the Planning Team, schedule an initial Planning Workshop 8-10 weeks before Community Conversation Planning Team members attend Planning Workshop Set date, location of Community Conversation Define scope of community, choose/customize conversation topic Decide on media and observer policy, address other strategic considerations Planning Team members join one of four workgroups; workgroups begin their tasks 4-6 weeks before Community Conversation Extend invitations to participants and observers (via mail, email, in-person, etc) Recruit moderators and recorders Secure location, food, other logistics Planning Team and workgroups meet as needed 3-4 weeks before Community Conversation Continue recruiting participants, using targeted outreach to assure a diverse participant group Begin initial contact with media (if appropriate) Planning Team and workgroups meet as needed 1 week before Community Conversation Hold Moderator/Recorder Training Make reminder calls to participants Finalize all logistics Finalize opening and closing plenary plans, decide who will handle questions, etc. HOLD COMMUNITY CONVERSATION

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POST-COMMUNITY CONVERSATION PLANNING TIMELINE 1 day after Community Conversation Planning Team meets to debrief (moderators and recorders may attend as well) 1-3 weeks after Community Conversation Send thank-you letter/email to participants Invite participants to join online discussion network for ongoing discussion (if appropriate) Follow-up workgroup (or entire planning team) meets to plan follow-up actions Analyze small group discussion outcomes, compile evaluation results Create summary report, send to participants Share report with appropriate parties, begin next steps in planning process 1+ month after Community Conversation Create recommendations memo or other follow-up action plan Report to participants about what actions have been taken, what impact the conversation has had

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SECTION 5: RECRUITING PARTICIPANTS


Sections 5-8 are devoted to the workgroups that the Planning Team should form to make sure there are people responsible for the various tasks that need attention. Part 1 of this section will help you think about whom to invite and how best to go about inviting them. You will also find some suggestions on how to include and welcome participants who dont speak English. Part 2 of this section offers a step-by-step guide for participant recruitment and pre-registration and provides instructions for assigning pre-registered participants to small breakout groups for the Community Conversation. Part 3 of this section explains the material you will need to provide participants at the event. Examples of these materials are included as appendices at the end of this guide.

Part 1. Whom to Invite and How to Gain Participation Whom to Invite


We recommend an invitational, or mostly invitational, discussion. Why? In our experience, extending a personal invitation is the best way to ensure the most representative and diverse group possible. An invitation that is extended by someone who is a friend, a respected local leader or another trustworthy source is far more likely to engender a positive response than a general announcement viewed on a bulletin board or in a newspaper. The diversity generated from well thought out and targeted invitations is also helpful in preventing single issue advocates or the most strident voices from dominating the proceedings. Community Conversation participants should include a wide cross section of the communitys general public along with any and all voices and stakeholders who would want to be represented and/or have important roles to play in the issue at hand.

Tips for Successful Recruiting


Make special efforts to reach out to people who tend to be uninvolved and who represent the diversity (ethnically, economically, politically) of the community. Invitations should come from personal contact by credible sources within sub-communities. For example, a respected senior citizen is often an effective person to invite other senior citizens to attend, and a student will often be the best person to invite other students.

TIP
Sending personalized invitations and making phone calls help you target your prospective participants, and open the group to more than just the usual suspects that is, those people who show up at every public meeting on your issue.

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Ask that people RSVP if they plan on attending. This pre-registration will help you keep track of how many participants to expect. It will also help you ensure greater diversity among participants since you will be able to track who is coming. Over-recruit those participants least likely to come. At the same time, each person should be invited as an individual, bringing his or her own points of view, rather than purely as a representative of a group. In addition to personal outreach, it is a good idea to send written invitations. This helps people feel they are being included in something special. Communicate that the meeting is differentmore interesting, engaging and welcoming than most community forums or meetings. Also communicate that the meeting matters and that the organizers are going to use the results to improve policies and support new initiatives in the community.

TIP
When potential participants hear about the Community Conversation frequently and in myriad contexts, they will be more likely to participate. Generating a buzz through the media will help with this and can be even more powerful when its supported by word-of-mouth, flyers and advertisements.

Setting up a web site about the conversation is a good idea. Many communities found this as an easy way for participants to RSVP for the event. There are numerous online services that can help you offer participants the option of registering online or you can create your own website.

Recruiting Non-English Speakers


One of the first questions organizers should ask when they begin to recruit participants is whether there are non-English-speaking populations within the community that ought to be represented, and if so, how best to include them in the discussions. (See section 3 for more detail on multilingual conversations.) Invitations and the Participant Guide, for instance, should often be translated into your communitys dominant second language, whether its Spanish, Chinese, Creole or something else. Moreover, it makes good sense to have as a member of your Planning Team someone with ties to the non-English-dominant community you are interested in, someone who can inform the planning process and help with grassroots outreach to recruit people to the upcoming conversation(s). Such personal outreach is important to successful recruitment in general, but it is critical here. The more welcome you make people feel, beginning with the invitation, the more likely they are to attend. This means, for example, phone calls to potential Latino participants by a Spanish speaker.

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Frequently Asked Questions


1. What happens if we are not getting enough representation from some important groups that should be at the forum? Track progress, increase invitees and try new strategies. Ask those who have agreed to attend to bring a friend from that community. Think about why you are having trouble attracting those individualswhat is keeping them from attending? Then try to address those obstacles directly. Think about targeted media (radio/press) ads. 2. Weve posted advertisements in newspaper and sent out letters. How else can we reach people? Try to get people where they socializefor example, at neighborhood clubs, shops, churches/temples/mosques, sports leagues, hair salons and community centers. Perhaps someone from your workgroup can distribute flyers at these locations and remain there to answer questions about the process.

Part 2. Step-by-Step Guide for Participant Recruitment and Pre-Registration


1) As you begin recruiting participants, make a list of the kinds of people you would like to participate in the conversation and set targets for how many people from each category youd like to have attend the conversation. See below for a sample target-setting worksheet. Remember, you should over-recruit those participants least likely to come. 2) Track participant information throughout the recruiting process, capturing as much information about participants as possible. You can use an online registration system like EventBrite (www.eventbrite.com) or develop your own registration tracking system. 3) As the recruitment process nears the end, review the log: have you come close to your targets for participants from each category? Is the group as demographically diverse as youd like it to be? If not, focus your final recruitment efforts on any categories of people youd like to have participate in higher numbers. 4) Confirm with participants in advance of the conversation. It takes a lot of work, but the best way to ensure high levels of participation is to call everyone who has said they will attend to remind them of the date, time and location of the Community Conversation, to ask if they will need childcare (if it is being provided), and to confirm that they plan to attend. Alternatively, you can send participants a confirmation letter or email.

TIP
An invitation delivered by phone or in-person is the #1 way to ensure a yes. If youve sent an invitation via email, be sure to follow up with a phone call.

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Assigning Participants to Small Groups


5) Once recruitment is completed, go through the participant list and assign each participant a small group number. Your group should meet 2-3 days before the conversation to do this. Participants should be divided across groups in a way that maximizes diversity within each small group and ensures that each group has at least a few representatives of each target category. There should be 12-14 people assigned to each group. 6) In advance of the Community Conversation, create a Participant Registration List (this should include name, affiliation and contact information but not personal demographic information). Each participants small group number should be noted alongside their name on the Participant Registration List, so that they can write it on their nametag when they check in at the Community Conversation. (You can also print nametags in advance for all pre-registered participants that includes the appropriate small group number. This helps to streamline the registration process.) The workgroup coordinating participant recruitment can work with the logistics workgroup on the task of preparing the Participant Registration List and assigning participants to small groups. The logistics workgroup will be responsible for organizing the registration process, so it is important for members of that group to be familiar with the participant registration list.

Sample Participant Recruitment Worksheet


Category Local officials Business owners Social service providers Parents Retired people Religious leaders Educators Other: Target # # Invited # Accepted # Still Needed Notes

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Part 3. Participant Materials The Participant Guide


Use the Choicework discussion starter youve chosen as the Participant Guide. To customize your Participant Guide, you can simply place a cover page and introduction over the guide that is provided; alternatively, you may prefer to create something more elaborate. The cover can be as simple or elaborate as you wish and as resources allow; in the past, groups have added their logo, the title, time and place of the event, a list of sponsors and so on.

The Participant Survey


In addition, all participants should complete a Participant Survey before they leave. These are completed at the end of the closing plenary sessions. Data from the surveys allow you to assess the event and plan for future community discussions. See Appendix 1 for a sample Participant Survey.

Non-English Language Materials


If you have decided to hold a bilingual forum, you will need to coordinate the production and distribution of a translated Participant Guide. Public Agenda has Spanish versions of many of the print and video Choicework discussion materials. Visit www.publicagenda.org/publicengagement and click on Choicework Discussion Starters or contact publicengagement@publicagenda.org to find out whether Spanish language materials are available for the Choicework youve selected.

Other Materials
Other materials you might consider including in a packet for participants are an agenda to the event and the names of sponsors, organizers and moderators. However, we suggest keeping these packets relatively clutter-free.

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SECTION 6: ORGANIZING THE NUTS AND BOLTS (LOGISTICS)


Section 6 deals with the Logistics workgroup, which handles the nuts and bolts tasks of a Community Conversation. Part 1 of this section addresses logistical tasks that must be organized in advance, such as: Selecting a location for the Community Conversation. Coordinating the meal and meal-related needs. Ensuring that all necessary equipment is arranged and in place on the day of the event.

Part 2 of this section address the tasks requiring day-of-event coordination, including: Making sure all equipment is in place for plenary and small group meetings. Registration/Check-in of participants. Providing general support and troubleshooting to other workgroups.

Part 1. Organizing and Planning in Advance Selecting a Location for the Conversation(s)
Youre looking for a location that is welcoming, not particularly controversial and relatively easy to find and travel to. Additionally, the location must be able to handle the space needs of a broad-based Community Conversation, with: A dining area for up to 100 to 125 participants. A large room (can be the same as the dining area or different) for the opening and closing plenary sessions. Breakout group rooms that are easily and quickly accessible and can accommodate about 12 to 18 persons each. Such rooms must be able to have seating arranged in a circle or semicircle. Enough restrooms in the building for all attendees. Appropriate space and personnel if childcare is to be provided.

Providing Meals
Offering a meal before the conversation begins is a great way to set a relaxed and friendly tone and carries symbolic weight as people who may be on different sides of an issue or from different parts of town break bread together. (Its also possible to end the event with a meal; serving it as you begin the closing plenary session.) You may be able to find local merchants or civic groups willing to donate food or utensils or volunteers who will offer to serve or clean up.

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Equipment Checklist for Community Conversation


Very little special equipment is needed for a typical Community Conversation. The following checklist, however, will help you plan for what you do need.

Registration Long rectangular table and chairs for registration staff Registration/check-in sheets to keep track of participants as they arrive Blank sheets for walk-ins to complete on-site registration Name tags for participants, name tags for staff, pens, markers, etc. Information packets for participants containing the Participant Guide, Participant Survey
and any other supplementary materials you choose.

Other: Dining area Tables for serving food Tables and chairs for eating Plates, forks, knives, napkins, garbage cans, etc. Other: Central discussion room (may also be used for one of the small group discussions) Podium and microphone Optional: Seating, if more than one speaker Optional: PowerPoint set up, if a brief presentation is to be made at opening and/or
closing plenary sessions

Other: Breakout rooms TV monitor and DVD player if using video discussion starter Flip chart, markers, masking tape (or self-stick flip chart) Movable chairs set up in a circle, semicircle or horseshoe Stickers in the shape of dots, stars, etc. for the moderators to
give to participants during the prioritizing action items part of the discussion

TIP
Make sure someone is present to troubleshoot any audiovisual equipment you will be using.

Other:

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Part 2. Day-of-Event Coordination Main Room and Breakout Rooms


When they arrive at the event, logistics work group members check that the dining and/or plenary room setup is adequate, with enough seats for the expected crowd to see and hear everything and microphones and audiovisual equipment as needed. Although the Moderator/Recorder workgroup should be checking to make sure everything is in place in the breakout rooms, you may want to coordinate with its members to make sure everyone knows who is bringing what to the event. Make sure all audio/video equipment is working before the start of the event and that each room has a flip chart and markers. The rooms should ideally be set up in a horseshoe or semi-circle shape. (Each location is different of course, but you should try to get as close to this as you can.)

Moderator

Registration
When participants arrive at the Community Conversation, they should check in at a registration table. At the table, they should receive a Participant Guide, Participant Survey, program or agenda and nametag indicating their small group assignment. A task that this workgroup and the workgroup coordinating participant recruitment can share is assigning participants among the breakout groups and preparing a list of preregistered participants for use at the registration table. The Participant Registration List should be divided into three or four sections by last name, with each section having roughly the same number of participants (i.e. A-F, G-L, M-R, S-Z). Print signs for each of the sections so that participants will know which line to join at the registration table.

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At least four people will be needed to work the registration table at the Community Conversation. Arrange the registration table so that each volunteer is given a unique section of the registration list and is seated near a sign indicating which section s/he is registering. For instance, the volunteer with the section of the list covering participants with last names beginning in A-F should be near a sign reading A-F. Additionally, one volunteer should be responsible for checking in unregistered participants. Each volunteer should have a pen or pencil to mark off participants as they arrive as well as a stack of name tags and markers for participants to fill out with their name and small group number. If you have pre-printed nametags, you can lay them out alphabetically on the registration table for participants to find themselves. As participants register, volunteers should check them off on the registration list. This will help the planning team estimate how many people attended the Community Conversation. Participants who show up unregistered or whose names do not appear on the registration list should be randomly assigned to a small group. Again, one volunteer should be responsible for registering unregistered participants and for assigning them to small groups. Try to distribute unregistered participants evenly across small groups. BE SURE TO CAPTURE THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION. A blank registration sheet should be available for this purpose. Without their contact information, you will be unable to follow up with them after the Community Conversation. At the end of the evening, one member of the logistics workgroup should be responsible for gathering all of the sections of the registration list as well the registration sheet with contact information for additional participants. After the event, record who attended the conversation on your master electronic version of the registration list and to add the information of the participants who were not on the list. This will help ensure that you can stay in touch with participants to provide them with a summary of the conversation, update them on progress and invite them to get involved in any subsequent activities.

TIP
A note on walk-ins: Its always possible that youll have some people who are not preregistered (and thus assigned to a specific group) but wish to participate. Assuming you are not approaching your locations maximum capacity, the best way to handle walk-ins is to distribute them randomly among the small discussion groups.

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SECTION 7: MANAGING MODERATORS, RECORDERS AND HOST


Part 1 of this section will help you understand how to select, train and support the moderators and recorders for each of the breakout groups. Part 2 of this section also discusses the role of the host, or master of ceremonies, who will lead the opening and closing plenary sessions at the Community Conversation itself.

Part 1. Managing Moderators and Recorders Recruiting Moderators


We cant stress enough how important it is to focus on recruiting good moderators (and recorders). Moderators play a key role in the conversations and have a very large impact on the experience. We have occasionally encountered people with a great deal of facilitating experience who do poorly in this type of setting and those with no experience who do very well. Thus, while the following guidelines can help you to select moderator trainees, the most important qualificationspeople skills, the ability to think on ones feet and a real interest in supporting an open, inclusive dialogue should be kept in mind regardless of a candidates background on paper or other political considerations. Depending on how many moderators you will need for your conversation (1 each per small group of 12 to 14 people), you should recruit a few extra people who are willing to attend the training and the event as alternates. Its always possible that you will have an influx of walk-ins and will need to form an extra discussion group, or someone may have a last minute family conflict or emergency and wont be available to moderate on the day of the conversation. Also, as you may plan to hold more than one conversation, you will want to have enough trained local moderators who can serve in those future conversations. Finally, some people prefer to co-moderate or co-record, so you can double these functions in a few instances if you wish. The best moderators: 1. Know the material and are familiar with the issues, but need not be experts 2. Are simple and straightforward, providing leadership for the dialogue process without being controlling 3. Remain nonpartisan and steer the conversation away from herself/himself and to/or within the group 4. Make sure participants points are understood and clarified as needed 5. Make sure participants know what they are to talk about when, so that the discussion is productive and on task 6. Help the participants feel safe and free to express themselves, even if voicing an unpopular opinion

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You will need moderators with the following skills, knowledge and background: Group facilitation skills/experience, especially in working with diverse groups and with the general public (as opposed to working only with professionals). Ability to create an environment in which participants feel safe and comfortable expressing their views. Ability to help people articulate the reasoning, experiences and values behind their positions. Ability to challenge participants (in a friendly, civil way) to consider alternate viewpoints. Comfort with and ability to manage group conflict. Ability to take a nonpartisan moderating stance. Successful Moderating Strategies: 1. Bring new voices into the discussion be sure that everyone gets to speak (without pressuring) 2. Occasionally sum up and focus the discussion 3. Probe when needed to get beneath the surface or introduce arguments that may have been overlooked (while remaining nonpartisan)

Nonpartisan credibility. Some people may be able to 4. Point out tensions between different points of view moderate in a nonpartisan manner but, because of past associations, will not be viewed in that light by members of the group. Some general familiarity with the issue at hand, although expertise is not required. This attribute is less important than the others.

Some diversity. Ideally, the moderator team overall will roughly reflect the demographics of the community, so it is often a plus to have some diversity of race, ethnicity, gender and the like among the moderators.

Moderators have been drawn from among the following backgrounds: Businesspeople, including trainers and consultants. Educators, social workers and others in community service. Qualitative researchers. Therapists and counselors. Mediators and people trained in conflict resolution. Clergy, including pastoral counselors.

Recruiting Recorders
The recorders also play a crucial role and should be carefully selected and trained. Recorders must be able to quickly summarize the main points in the discussion and write them legibly enough for all to see. Like moderators, they must be nonpartisan, trusted to record all ideas, not just those they agree with.

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Ideally, recorders will attend the moderator/recorder training session. If recorders are not able to attend, they should be fully briefed and should meet with their moderators prior to the conversation to clarify roles and tasks, create a sense of teamwork and avoid last minute confusion. If a recorder is unable to attend the moderator/recorder training, it is important that he or she be supplied with a guide and be fully briefed on the following: The purpose of the Community Conversation. The structure of the meeting and the recorders role. Exactly what recorders are expected to do during each phase of the small group discussion.

Organizing the Moderator/Recorder Training


It is critical that anyone who serves as a moderator for the Community Conversation attend the training session. If a recorder is unable to attend, that person can be carefully briefed later on. Let them know why they are being asked to serve as a moderator or recorder and what the Community Conversation is all about. The training should take place two to seven days prior to the conversation. This will allow enough time for the training to sink in and for moderators/recorders to familiarize themselves with the procedures and moderator/recorder guide, but not so much time that the information is no longer fresh. The training takes approximately four hours and is usually scheduled from 9:00 to 1:00 or 12:00 to 4:00, with a short lunch or snack break. We strongly advise you to schedule trainings during the day, rather than after work or on Friday afternoons. There is a lot of material to practice and absorb, and it is very hard for trainees to focus after a full day of work. Youll likely get some resistance when you tell people the training takes four hours, but stand firm! In the end, this much time is needed to make sure they are confident and well prepared. Youll need a room that can accommodate a trainer, the moderators/recorders and any observers who might wish to attend. The room should be set up to resemble a breakout room at the actual Community Conversation. Chairs should be arranged in a circle, semicircle or horseshoe. If you have more than 20 or so people attending, you may need two rooms. You will also need the following: Two flip charts with paper and pens. DVD player and TV or DVD player and/or laptop, projector and screen to show training PowerPoint and Choicework video. Copies of the Moderator/Recorder Guide (Appendix 2) and any additional handouts you wish to provide. Lunch and/or refreshments.

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About the training


The basic structure of the moderator/recorder training is as follows: 1) The lead trainer provides trainees with information about the Community Conversation, explaining the purpose, goals and any relevant logistical information such as location, date, time, etc. 2) The Community Conversation model is explained, along with specific detail on the roles for moderators and recorders and tips for successful moderating/recording. 3) Using the moderator/recorder guide as an outline, trainees will run through a practice session of a small group dialogue session. Trainees take turns practicing their moderating/recording skills with the group acting out the roles of conversation participants. The lead trainer and other trainees will offer guidance and constructive reflection on the performance of each trainee. Public Agenda is available to provide the moderator/recorder training and/or some consulting on the training for communities planning to hold Community Conversations. We can also provide additional training materials such as agendas, Power point presentations, etc. Please contact us at publicengagement@publicagenda.org for more information and materials related to moderator/recorder training.

Coordinating the Moderators and Recorders at the Conversation


In addition to recruiting moderators and recorders and setting up the training, the Moderator/Recorder workgroup should ensure that all moderating/recording essentials are in place at the event, including the following: Extra copies of the Moderator/Recorder Guide. Adequately sized breakout rooms, with enough seats properly configured (in circle, semicircle or horseshoe shape, not classroom style). Extra participant discussion materials, including copies of the Participant Guide, any handouts or posters that might be employed as conversation aids and, when appropriate, DVDs or other audiovisual materials. DVD/TV setups if using video discussion starters. Flip charts, markers, masking tape (self-sticking flip charts are ideal). Other: .

See Appendix 2 for a basic version of the Moderator/Recorder Guide in English and Spanish.

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Part 2. Managing the Opening and Closing Plenary Sessions and the Role of the Community Conversation Host
A Community Conversation should open and closes with plenary (whole group) sessions that sandwich the breakout dialogue groups. Each plenary session is about twenty minutes in length. The opening plenary session is devoted to welcoming participants, giving them an overview of the proceedings, providing them with basic information and background and offering some words of encouragement. The closing plenary session is for brief, efficient reports from each breakout group, information on follow-up activities, thanking participants and making sure participant surveys are filled out. While numerous people may be involved in making remarks at the opening and closing plenary sessions, its a good idea to have a master of ceremonies, or host, as the main facilitator. The host is often a lead member of the Planning Team or a prominent member of the community who is good at this kind of thing. Try to choose someone charismatic and energizing. A Host Guide providing guidelines to managing the opening and closing plenary sessions may be found in Appendix 3.

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SECTION 8: COORDINATING STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AND FOLLOW-UP


Part 1 of this section will focus on the tasks dealing with communications to participants and the media before and after the conversation. Part 2 of this section offers guidelines for coordinating follow-up activities, in particular linking community dialogue to meaningful action by the community. Finally, Part 3 of this section discusses how to expand and institutionalize the dialogue process.

Part 1. Communications & External Relations


Your Planning Team as a whole will have decided how much focus you want to place on media relations and other kinds of communications. At the very least, youll need to develop some basic pieces that will help you can use in a number of ways. There are three fundamental communications tools you will find useful: A set of talking points to help you explain the initiative. A flyer that explains the purpose of the community conversations and gives basic information, such as when and where it will take place. A pitch letter to explain the event to potential partners and allies.

You can build on these to create more materials as needed. The talking points should convey factual information about the conversation as well as the intent behind it. These should be distributed to everyone on the Planning Team, to help them talk about the event. (You can begin with the talking points outlined on page 15 of this guide.) A basic flyer should provide a succinct, visually appealing presentation of the event that you can use to generate interest and buzz as well as recruit participants. Finally, a pitch letter should contain everything in your talking points, but in a more personal manner. Depending on its recipient, the letter should be tailored to focus on why you think whoever is receiving the letter should be interested in participating, donating food, observing the conversation and so forth. You can also consider creative ideas to get messages across, such as the use of T-shirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs and ads on local restaurant menus, on the community television channel, etc.

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Example News Release


For Immediate Release Date: Contact Name: Phone Number: Email: [CITY NAME] Community Hosts a Community Conversation on [ISSUE] [CITY NAME] city officials, community-based organizations and business leaders have partnered to convene a public "Community Conversation" to discuss [ISSUE]. The Community Conversation will be held on [DATE], from [START TIME] to [END TIME] at [LOCATION]. The Community Conversation will bring together various stakeholders, including concerned citizens, local officials, business owners, representatives of non-profit organizations and others in the community to help craft solutions to address [ISSUE]. The Community Conversation is being sponsored by [SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS] and other members of the community. The Community Conversation is based on a proven model of citizen engagement and dialogue developed by Public Agenda, nonprofit, nonpartisan opinion research and citizen engagement organization. The Community Conversation model has been used in hundreds of communities to generate productive, action-oriented dialogue on important public issues. For more information on Public Agenda, please visit www.publicagenda.org This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and an RSVP is required. For more information or to RSVP for the event, contact [CONTACT NAME/EMAIL/PHONE] # # # # # # # # # # Contact Organization Address

Online Communications
You may want to consider if there are ways to use a community Web site to create an interactive means of communication about the conversation and its aftermath. Social networking platforms like Facebook and Ning can be useful tools for connecting conversation participants following the Community Conversation itself.

The Media
Media relations were covered as one of the strategic considerations discussed in section 3, and members of this workgroup should review that discussion. It is the responsibility of the Communications/Follow-up workgroup to implement any decisions by the Planning Team as to media relations.

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Part 2. Linking Community Dialogue to Meaningful Action by the Community


In our experience, almost everyone who attends a well-organized, well-run Community Conversation comes away feeling that the experience was exciting, refreshing and extremely valuable. The vast majority feels that there was not enough time and that more people ought to be involved in the dialogue, and everyone wants to see the conversation lead to real results in their community. Ensuring that the Community Conversation connects to action is the responsibility of the entire Planning Team. The job of this workgroup is to make sure that ideas on follow-up are considered from the beginning of the planning process and to coordinate and implement follow-up plans as they develop. In practice, this means that the Planning Team should think early on about how to create the conditions for effective follow-up to the Community Conversation. At the very least, we suggest the following follow-up activities: Provide a summary report of the Community Conversation to all participants. If you think it will take some time to put together the report, an immediate thank-you letter sent by mail or email is a nice gesture. Report results to community decision makers and, when possible, convey decision makers response(s) back to participants. Disseminate the results in other ways, such as online and through media channels. Suggest ways that participants who are so inspired can stay involved, such as joining or volunteering with organizations dedicated to making a difference on the issue at hand. Pick at least one issue or problem raised during the conversation to address concretely and specifically in your follow-up. This could be something you are already working on or something new. Let participants know you will be addressing the issue/concern and invite them to help, if appropriate.

Beyond these basic steps, the Planning Team might consider the following: Creating action task forces to plan and promote specific policies or new initiatives based on important directions for action that emerged from the Community Conversation. o For instance, the idea of creating a closer partnership among community-based organizations may have emerged as a hot idea in the conversation. A task force could be formed to create an action plan with representatives from each of the relevant organizations plus volunteers from the Community Conversation. Or perhaps the idea emerged of creating a community foundation to support special initiatives related to the issue discussed. A task force or study group could be formed devoted to researching and promoting such an initiative.

Continuing and expanding the dialogue that was begun in the Community Conversation on the Internet or through a newsletter.

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Providing needed information: One category of outcome produced by this conversation process is to identify questions people have, areas where they want more information. For instance, they may have questions about a specific policy or practice, what data says about the issue or how other communities have solved certain problems. There are often items here that are easy to respond to, and the organizers should do so after a Community Conversationit is an important sign of good faith on the part of the organizers and shows participants that someone is addressing their questions. Convening a leadership session to react to some of the results of the deliberations. o For instance, a community leadership team could meet following Community Conversations and issue a response.

Conducting a focus group to better understand some of the areas of disagreement that were identified at the meeting and how you might help people work through them. This can lead to new ideas for future forums and other kinds of community action. Taking advantage of the fact that many people simply want to help in any way they can after a Community Conversation and may be open to volunteering or raising money for a new or ongoing initiative related to the issue at hand. It is important to capitalize on this energy and motivation as quickly as possibleafter all, most of us lead busy lives, and good intentions are easily overtaken by the events of daily life.

There is, of course, no single right way to do this. The question is, what would be a good approach for community?

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Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Community Conversation Summary Report


Step 1: Review And Interpret The Data
Collate the flip chart notes from each small group discussion into a single document organized around areas of Common Ground, Concerns/Disagreements, Outstanding Questions and Priorities for Action. Review the post-forum participant surveys, notes from moderator and organizer debriefing meetings and incorporate findings from these into the document as appropriate.

Step 2: Analyze Data, Identify Major Themes


Analyze the collated discussion notes for major themes that arose across discussion groups. You should generally be able to identify at least one or two themes for each of the following areas: Common Ground, Concerns/Disagreements, Outstanding Questions and Priorities for Action. If each small group ranked their priorities for action, pay particular attention to the extent to which certain priorities are similarly ranked across groups.

Step 3: Write The Report


The summary report can be structured in a number of different ways and your team should feel free to customize the content and design of your report to suit your needs and preferences. We have found that the following structure generally works very well for summarizing Community Conversation outcomes with clarity, brevity and meaning. I. Report Overview 1. Statement of purpose: What was the rationale for holding a conversation on this issue? Sample Language: The goal of the Community Conversation was to bring diverse stakeholders together to engage in a productive, action-oriented dialogue about [ISSUE]. The results are being used to inform leadership about the communitys values, concerns and priorities, and to educate, encourage and enable more individuals and groups across the community to work together to make progress on this issue. Finally, in addition to helping the community tackle this particular issue, we hope that the Community Conversation also provides a model and method for addressing other issues in the future. 2. Acknowledge the organizational sponsor(s) of the Community Conversation, as well as any individuals who have played a major role in planning the conversation.

3. Why Do Community Conversations Matter? Sample Language:


Too often, important decisions about the challenges facing our community are made behind closed doors and without the valuable input and involvement of ordinary citizens. This is

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partly because good opportunities for citizens to engage in productive dialogue that contributes to solutions and organizes action are hard to come by. Community Conversations are inclusive community events that go beyond the usual suspects to bring diverse stakeholders together address a pressing issue. Rather than lectures by experts or gripe sessions by angry constituents, well-designed Community Conversations create a frank, productive problem-solving process in which diverse ideas are put on the table, diverse participants sit at the table, and people work together to find common ground and shared solutions. Such conversations are best thought of as a step toward better communication, collaboration and problem solving on important challenges facing the community. 4. Day of event, location, number/type of attendees, etc. II. Deliberation Summary 1. Key Areas of Common Ground 2. Concerns or Disagreements 3. Outstanding Questions 4. Priorities for Action (This section can begin to elaborate on key points) 5. Whats next? In addition to summarizing the participant discussions from the conversation, it is the responsibility of the Planning Team to identify which ideas for action might be most effectively pursued by participants (i.e. which ideas could be pursued without needing more resources), ideas that touch on existing resources that people may be unaware of, ideas that connect with the missions of the sponsoring coalitions current efforts, etc. The goal is to help identify the low-hanging fruit or those opportunities for follow-up activities that would be comparatively easy to develop. Additionally, you might also want to identify some more ambitious actions that would require new resources, or decisions by local leaders who will need to be convinced i.e., things that cannot be acted upon right away but are worth pursuing overtime. But unquestionably youll want to identify those actions that can be addressed right away by participants, organizers and, if possible, local officials. Announcing an action plan to participants and inviting them to get involved is a great way to conclude a summary report.

Step 4: Disseminating The Report


The first audience for your summary report should be the participants themselves. The summary report must be sent out to participants in a timely manner, ideally within two weeks of the conversation. Often, you will also want to submit the summary report to local officials or other leaders and ask them to comment on or respond to the ideas and issues raised. If appropriate, the officials responses can be distributed to Community Conversation participants.

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Part 3. Expanding and Institutionalizing the Dialogue Process


Whether you planned a single Community Conversation or a series (see section 3, Strategic Considerations), as you reach the end point of a phase of dialogue work, youll want to think about how and when to use dialogue in the future. Following are some of the questions youll want to think about.

What Should the Second Series Be About?


You might hold a second round to delve further into a specific issue identified by participants as important. This was the case at Jefferson Community College in Steubenville, OH, where the question of how to help students be better prepared for college emerged front and center at the first Community Conversation. JCC organizers joined forces with the local school districts to hold a second conversation roughly a year later on the topic of college readiness. (See page 9 of this guide for more detail on the outcomes.) Even if you have convened small workgroups designed to get more specific about areas of common ground and action ideas, people still often want to: Work through important areas of disagreement that were identified. These issues may not have been resolved in the original series. (Note that sometimes important disagreements among participants need to be worked out. At other times there may be a disagreement between the participants and some official policy.) Reconsider some facet of the conversation once a crucial piece of missing information is obtained that people said they needed.

Remember, it makes sense to hold a forum only on a topic about which people feel a sense of urgency and where there are important community issues to work out. What did you learn about this from your first series of Community Conversations? Remember as well that Public Agenda has discussion frameworks prepared on various issues that could be useful to you in your follow-up work. All of our discussion starters can be found on our website at www.publicagenda.org/publicengagement and click on Choicework Discussion Starters. If you choose a topic other than ones we have materials prepared for, youll need to frame the issue for productive discussion. This is something you might try to do yourselves, or you might want some outside help. For example, Public Agenda offers a one-day workshop on framing issues for public deliberation.

Keep in mind:
Choose a topic that is of strong interest to the community. One way to get at this is to make a list of discussion topics that relate to issues on the community leaderships agenda. Then make a list of the topics that relate to the concerns of average community

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members. The overlap between the two lists is a good place to look for first conversation topicsif you choose a topic that is of strong interest to both the leadership and the community generally, more people will be motivated to engage in the process. Choose an issue where public input and involvement can make a real difference. For instance, if a new statewide policy will be affecting funding for some community initiative the day after your forum, it may not make sense to use that topic, as the discussion could immediately become outdated. On the other hand, if the community is in the process of developing new plans for a new initiative, then public input and involvement can have very direct pay-offs. Remember that its possible to customize the topic of an existing Choicework guide to take local issues into account. Specific probes and questions can be built into the moderator and participant materials to help people engage in themes that may not be included the video or print materials.

Who Should Attend?


Do you want to delve deeper with the original participants, expand to new participants or try to combine new people and veterans? It can be tricky to hold a second forum on the same topic with both veterans and new participants. Its not impossibleyou can, for example, keep the veterans in their own discussion groupsbut it does add a layer of complexity.

Where Should It Be Held?


This question is especially important for regional meetings, but it can be worth a little thought with respect to any site. Were the space and location adequate? Would changing the location make it easier to recruit certain participants and/or be important for symbolic reasons?

Who Is Going to Organize It?


Is the original planning team intact? Is everyone on board for round two? Would a partially or wholly new planning team make sense at this point? Are there individuals from groups that were underrepresented at the first session who should be invited to participate? At the very least, you should think about how the more enthusiastic participants from the last forum might play a role in helping with the next one.

Who Is Going to Moderate It?


Do you have the moderators youll need for a second series? Might your moderators benefit from a brief tune-up training as they prepare for a new topic? Do you need to, or want to, train new people or draw on moderators from outside your community?

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What Were the Weaknesses Last Time, and How Can You Address Them?
No one needs to tell you that public engagement is challenging and every session will have had its strengths and weaknesses. How would you assess yours? What can you do to be more successful next time? What new strategies might be employed?

Do You Want to Experiment with the Formula?


Related to the last topic of improving on the formula is revising it to better suit your needs and those of your community. For example, aiming for about 100 participants from across your community is not essential. You may decide that it makes more sense to hold a series of three smaller, neighborhoodbased forums over a six-month period. This is not a suggestion to depart from the fundamental principles that we have found to be essential, such as: Striving for a broad, diverse group of participants beyond the usual suspects. Working in small, moderated groups. Providing some structure to the conversation, so people have a place to start and the most experienced and expert among them dont end up taking over. Discussion materials generally work best if they involve choices and are presented in a clear, nonpartisan, jargon-free manner. Maintaining a nonpartisan, inclusive and open sponsorship and atmosphere.

Should you decide to change the formula, please feel free to bounce your ideas off of us. We may have tried something and failed already, and you might as well hear about that sooner rather than later. That said, we have every reason to believe that you can improvise on the approach in ways that work well for your situation, and we look forward to learning from any experiments you conduct. Good luck!

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APPENDIX 1: EXAMPLE PARTICIPANT SURVEY

45

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION PARTICIPANT SURVEY


Location: Date:

This survey will provide more information on your views and feedback on how to make future meetings more successful. Please hand it in before you leave. Please indicate which small group you were in: 1. Do you have any additional thoughts about todays topic, something you didnt say earlier and would like to say now? If so, what is it?

2. How should we follow up on todays meeting? (Please select your top two ideas for follow-up.)

More discussions like this in other parts of the community or with other participants.
If so, where or with whom?

More discussion on some aspect of todays topic or on another topic.


If so, on what?

Ask leaders to respond to todays discussion.


If so, which leaders?

Community action by local citizens and groups.


If so, what kind of action?

Other (Please explain)

3. How often have you attended group discussions or public meetings in the past?

This was my first time 1 - 3 times 4 - 8 times 8 or more times


4. Compared with most other group discussions or public meetings youve attended, was your group today more diverse than usual, less diverse than usual or about the same?

More diverse Less diverse About the same Not sure


Throughout todays discussion, how often did you: 5. decide something was more complicated than you originally thought?

Never Once or twice Three or more times Not sure


6. hear arguments against your position that you thought were good?

Never Once or twice Three or more times Not sure


7. How useful did you find todays meeting to be?

Very useful Somewhat useful Not very useful Not useful at all

8. Did you find your moderator to be:

Very useful Somewhat useful Not very useful Not useful at all
Comment (optional):

9. Overall, what did you like most about todays meeting?

10. What did you like least about todays meeting?

11. Do you have any suggestions for improving the meeting format?

12. Can you think of any specific groups or individuals who did not attend todays meeting who you think would like to be invited in the future? If so, please list below.

[Questions 13-17 are for research purposes only] 13. What is your occupation?

14. What is your gender? Female Male 15. Age (please check one): Under 18 18-24 25-44 45-64 65+

16. Please indicate the highest level of education you completed (check one): Did not finish high school High school graduate/GED Some college Completed college 17. Are you of Hispanic/Latino descent?

Yes No
18. How would you describe your racial background?

White Black, African or African American Asian or Pacific Islander Native American or Alaska Native Other:
19. Would you like to be informed about activities designed to follow up on todays dialogue?

Yes No
If you said Yes to question 19, please fill out the contact information below. You may tear it off and hand it in separately if you wish so your earlier answers remain confidential.

Name: Address: Phone(s): Email: Comments?

CUESTIONARIO DE PARTICIPANTES
Lugar: Fecha:

Sus respuestas al cuestionario nos ayudarn a mejorar la forma en que llevaremos a cabo los dilogos con la comunidad en un futuro. Por favor, entrguelo antes de salir. Por favor indique el grupo pequeo en el que usted estuvo participando: 1. Tiene alguna sugerencia adicional sobre el tema que discutimos el da de hoy? Algo que no tuvo oportunidad de mencionar y le gustara decir? Si es as por favor mencinelo a continuacin.

2. Cmo deberamos dar seguimiento a la reunin de hoy? (Por favor seleccione dos de las ideas que se mencionan a continuacin).

Mas discusiones como esta en otras partes de la comunidad o con otros participantes.
Si as es, con quien?

Mas discusiones acerca de un aspecto del tpico de hoy u otro tpico.


Si as es, cual tpico?

Pregntenle a los lideres a que respondan a la discusin de hoy.


Si as es, cuales lideres?

Accin comunitaria por medio de los ciudadanos y grupos.


Si as es, cuales acciones?

Otro (por favor explique de qu se trata)

3. Con qu frecuencia ha asistido usted dilogos en grupo o reuniones pblicas en el pasado?

Nunca Una a tres veces Cuatro a siete veces Ocho o ms veces


4. En comparacin con otros dilogos en grupo o reuniones pblicas en las que usted ha participado, cmo califi ca la diversidad del grupo de hoy?

Mayor diversidad Menor diversidad Un nivel de diversidad similar No estoy seguro(a)


Durante el da de hoy, qu tan seguido usted: 5. Decidi que algo result ms complicado de lo que usted haba pensado?

Nunca Una o dos veces Tres o ms veces No estoy seguro(a)


6. Escuch argumentos en contra de su opinin, los cuales usted considera Buenos argumentos?

Nunca Una o dos veces Tres o ms veces No estoy seguro(a)


7. Que usable encontr usted la reunin de hoy?

Muy usable Un poco usable No muy usable Totalmente no es usable

8. Usted considera que el/la moderador(a) de su grupo fue:

Muy bueno Un poco bueno No muy bueno Totalmente no es bueno


Comentarios (opcionales):

9. En general qu le gust ms de la reunin?

10. Qu fue lo que menos le gust?

11. Tiene alguna sugerencia para mejorar la manera de conducir la reunin?

12. Qu grupos o personas que no participaron en la reunin de hoy usted considera deben ser invitados en el futuro?

[Las preguntas 13 a 17 sern utilizadas para obtener datos estadsticos nicamente] 13. Cul es su ocupacin principal?

14. Cul es su gnero? Mujer Hombre 15. Edad (por favor marque una): Baja 18 18-24 25-44 45-64 65+

16. Por favor indique el nivel de la educacin que ha adquirido. Marque una: No gradu la secundaria Gradu de la escuela secundaria/ Recib el Diploma de Educacin General Unos estudios universitarios Termin la universidad 17. Es usted de origen hispano o latino?

Si No
18. Cul es su origen?

Blanco Afro Americano Asitico o Asitico Americano Indio Norte Americano o Nativo de Alaska Otro:
19. Quiere mantenerse informado de actividades futuras?

Si No
Si su respuesta a la pregunta 19 fue Si, por favor proporcione sus datos personales a continuacin. Usted puede desprender esta hoja y entregarla por separado si usted lo desea, para que sus respuestas sean annimas.

Nombre: Direccin: Telfono: Direccin de correo electrnico: Comentarios?

APPENDIX 2: EXAMPLE MODERATOR/RECORDER GUIDE

MODERATOR/RECORDER GUIDE
About This Guide
This guide was designed by to be used by moderators and recorders at Community Conversations in conjunction with dialogue materials specially designed by Public Agenda to facilitate dialogue among diverse groups. Public Agendas dialogue materials present several alternative approaches to the issue at hand, different ideas for people to weigh and talk about, or what Public Agenda calls Choicework. This is an effective way to give regular citizens a structure for engaging a complex issue. It allows people to sort through competing values, trade-offs and practical challenges. And because it is presented in clear, jargon-free language, the structure allows virtually anyone to participate and find his or her own voice in the conversation. This guide will help moderators and recorders understand their roles and lead them through the discussion process step by step.

Goals of Dialogue
The primary goal of this Community Conversation is to create a productive dialogue among a diverse cross section of community members that will: Open up lines of communication within the community. Share ideas and perspectives about how to address the issue at hand. In doing so, you will work specifically to identify areas of common ground, clarify disagreements and identify questions and concerns.

Brainstorm and prioritize the ways in which the community can work together to make progress on the issue at hand.

Moderating Tasks and Objectives


On the most basic level, the task of the moderator is to make sure the participants in the small group discussions understand what they are supposed to be talking about and to keep the discussions focused and on schedule. Beyond this, moderators make the conversations as participatory and productive as possible. A successful moderator is comfortable with the goal of an open dialogue without a predetermined conclusion. It is essential to the credibility of the dialogue that moderator does not direct the outcomes of the conversations and remains neutral and unbiased. The moderator does, of course, have an agenda with regard to the process of the session to facilitate a civil, constructive dialogue among diverse members of the community who do not often communicate with each other. But the goal is not to lead anyone toward a correct answer. If you do not feel you can be objective, or if you feel you could get defensive or impatient with wrong answers, this is not a good role for you. In general, moderators should be familiar with the issues to be addressed, but they need not be experts. We encourage a natural, straightforward style of facilitation, since elaborate or workshop-like techniques can come across as gimmicky and/or intimidating in this setting. Moderators are more like skillful hosts who keep a party lively without themselves becoming the center of attention. A moderators primary objectives include: Making sure a point is well understood by everyone in the group. Helping participants explain why they feel the way they do for instance, have they had particular experiences that have led them to their current views? Pointing out contradictions and tensions among different ideas being discussed. Bringing a new voice into the discussion to enrich what is being said. Occasionally summing up and (re)focusing the discussion. Introducing important arguments that are being overlooked to see what people think.

Other important moderating objectives: Creating an environment where people are comfortable expressing ideas.
These sessions are carefully designed to foster an environment in which people can honestly explore their thinking and the opinions of others and engage in constructive and stimulating dialogue about an important public concern. The moderator can contribute by establishing a relaxed but focused tone for the session and modeling honest and straightforward, yet civil and respectful communication.

Not allowing individuals or subgroups to dominate the discussion.


Especially early on in the discussion, a major goal of moderators should be to involve as many people as possible. This doesnt mean making everyone participate equally but, rather, it involves creating a situation where everyone has an opportunity to do so and you should occasionally check in with people who have not spoken to see if they have anything they want to add to the discussion. Two typical challenges in this regard are (1) the dominant personality, who will talk at such length or with such force that less aggressive members of the group fade into the background; and (2) those with greater experience and expertise who simply have more fully formed views and can talk at greater length. Moderators should not feel the need to police these issues too tightly. A common mistake of novice moderators is to jump in too quickly if someone appears to be getting out of line. In our experience, its best to let things play out a bit and allow the group to react and deal with the individual or situation without interference which is usually all that is needed. But moderators may need to intervene from time to time to keep the conversation open, constructive and accessible to everyone. The ground rules youll set for the discussion will help you do this.

Helping people examine their own views, understand the views of others and communicate effectively about the issues with diverse members of the community.
In post-conversation surveys, most participants state that they heard views different from their own position which had merit, and that they reconsidered one of their own positions at least once. Moderators can facilitate these outcomes by encouraging people to examine their views, to articulate and explain them clearly, and to hear (and perhaps respond to) the views of others.

Clarifying, and advancing, the local state of the debate on the issue at hand.
Again, the aim is not to achieve perfect consensus. Rather, it is to facilitate a positive and stimulating conversation among equals that allows views to be articulated and examined. In this way we hope the dialogue will clarify: Areas of common ground. Important concerns or disagreements that will require continued dialogue. Outstanding questions that deserve further attention. Ways the community can work together to make progress on this issue at hand.

A Note on Group Conflict


Beginning moderators are often anxious about too much conflict. We find instead that groups often strive to minimize their conflicts and reframe them as areas of common ground. This can artificially conceal real tensions that may need attention. It is important, therefore, that moderators take an accepting attitude toward group conflict and disagreement, an attitude that communicates, This is normal and useful to understand. Moderators should look to neither agitate disagreements nor shy away from them, but rather help the group to identify and clarify areas of conflict and disagreement. If the group as a whole wants to focus on a particular conflict, moderators should help participants make as much headway as realistically possible in a short discussion.

The Recorders Role


Throughout the small group session, recorders will make notes of the discussion on flip charts, freeing moderators to concentrate on managing the flow of conversation. The recorders job is a crucial one: to record the major points during the small group discussions. While the recorder is not expected to write everything that is said word for word, he or she should try to capture the essence of the main points being made by each participant. It is especially important to record not only each persons position (Im for such and such), but each persons thinking (Im for such and such because...). It is equally important that recorders do their best to keep their own views out of the way and record the proceedings as faithfully as possible. Some practical tips: You will be working on a flip chart so the group can see the document you are creating. On the first sheet, be sure to identify which group you are recording and number the pages as you go. Do not bother with peoples names; just record their perspectives and ideas. Write as large and legibly as you can without slowing down. You can occasionally ask the group or moderator to clarify a point if it is unclear to you or if things have moved too quickly. Ideally, youll be able to remove each finished page and tape it onto a wall so the participants can see the pages when they are ready to summarize their conversation. But some rooms dont have walls that work for this, and its important not to miss anything, so if you cant get the sheets up on a wall, simply flip them over as they fill up and keep writing. R

Structure of the Small Group Discussions


Most Community Conversations begin with a light meal, followed by welcoming remarks. Afterward, organizers separate participants into small, diverse groups of 12 to 14 to review the Choicework and discuss the topic at hand. Each group should be as diverse as possible, not only demographically but with respect to the different kinds of community members present. The entire small group discussion is designed to take a little less than two hours. It is the moderators responsibility to manage the small group discussions. There are two major phases, each with several components: 60 minutes 10 minutes 40 minutes 10 minutes Part 1: General Discussion Group orientation, introductions, ground rules Introduce Choicework and discuss Interim summary: common ground, concerns or disagreements, outstanding questions 50 minutes Part 2: Bridging from Dialogue to Action How Can our Community Work Together to Make Progress on the Issue at Hand? 30 minutes 10 minutes 10 minutes Brainstorming ideas for action and collaboration Prioritizing actionable ideas Identifying next steps

The remainder of this guide will work you through each section of the conversation in detail.

DETAILED MODERATING PROCEDURES


Part 1: General Discussion of Choicework Materials (60 minutes)
This first discussion item uses the Choicework Discussion Starter as a starting point. The procedure for handling this phase of the small group discussion follows:

Time: _______to_______

Group Orientation, Introductions, and Ground Rules


(10 minutes)

A. Group Orientation
Moderator makes a few brief, opening remarks, explaining: Who you are and what your role is. Why we are meeting (reinforcing what was said in the opening plenary session). Whats going to happen in the small group.

B. Introductions
Have a brief round of introductions. We recommend making a seating chart so you know who is sitting where as you manage the discussion. Note if someone is a local official, a parent, a local business owner, a student and so on. This will help you manage the conversation, especially early on while youre working to get everyone involved. Note: If a recorder has not been prearranged, youll need to find a volunteer.

C. Ground Rules
Cover any simple ground rules you might want to apply to the discussion. For example, you might say something along these lines: Lets all work together to keep the conversation on track and to make sure everyone has an equal chance to speak. We want this to be a session where people feel free to express their views and where they can consider the views of others. Its okay to agree with others, and its okay to disagree as well. We just ask that you disagree with ideas, not with people. In other words, lets keep this constructive and avoid getting personal. Are we ready to get started?

Time: _______to_______

Introduce Choicework and Discuss (40 minutes)

D. Introducing the Choicework Materials


It helps to introduce the Choicework Discussion Starter along these lines: To help us get the conversation started, were going to review the Choicework Discussion Starter that presents three contrasting ways of looking at the issue at hand. After we review the Choicework, Im going to ask you which view is closest to your own, and we can start talking about it. You may also have other ideas that arent covered in the Choicework, and we can talk about those as well. Refer participants to their Participant Guide, which includes a written version of the Choicework Discussion Starter. If you are working only with a written version, either read the Choicework yourself or ask for volunteers from the group to read different sections. If you are watching a video version of the Choicework, participants may want to follow along with the written text, but do tell them they can just watch the video the written text is merely for those who like to refer to it. Then roll the video.

E. Getting the Discussion Started


Begin by explaining to people that theyve just heard three different ways of looking at the issue at hand and that we want to get things started by asking them which approach is closest to their own thinking. Ask for a show of hands: How many lean more toward Approach 1? How many lean more toward Approach 2? How many lean more toward Approach 3? Then begin to ask people why they leaned one way or the other, and youre off and running. Your real aim here should be to get the group thinking and talking to each other. If people are talking only to you as the moderator and not to one another, it can be helpful to connect their points so they can react to one another a bit. For example, you might invite a proponent of Approach 1 to respond to a comment made by a champion of Approach 3 to help the group get the idea that its okay to react directly to one anothers statements.

Time: _______to_______

Interim Summary (10 minutes)

F. Interim Summary
After the Choicework phase of your discussion, take 10 minutes or so to work with the group on the three summary questions listed below for this first phase of the conversation. Recorder: If you havent done so already, put up three flip chart pages labeled Common Ground, Concerns/Disagreements and Outstanding Questions. (We recommend putting them up at the start, to save time and because they can be helpful along the way.) Explain to the group that youll be covering all three summary topics in a limited amount of time, and encourage everyone to focus. Begin with number one, though you might jump around as the discussion unfolds. In our conversation today, have we discovered any common ground? What do we agree on or have in common? What were things we have concerns or disagreements about? Things we might have to keep talking about to work out our differences and move ahead? What are the outstanding questions that need more attention? Are there issues about which we need more information?

Tips for Managing the Interim Summary Important: You should briefly process each suggestion by a group member to make sure most people are comfortable with having it go up on one of the charts. For example, ask, Does everyone agree that was an area of common ground? before putting it up on the chart. If the issue cant be resolved quickly, it can become a question for further discussion on the Questions/Concerns chart. It is important to discourage people from introducing new material here the task is to sum up the previous conversation, not begin a new one. This is one place where you can introduce your own observations, as can the recorder. For example, if the group is missing a point of disagreement that you recall clearly, you might say, I seem to recall some disagreement about ________. Is that accurate?

We dont need 100% agreement to list something as Common Ground, as long as most people agree. Minority views can usually be noted under Outstanding Questions.

Part 2: Bridging from Dialogue to Action

Time: _______to_______

Brainstorming Ideas for Action & Collaboration


(30 minutes)

G. Brainstorming Ideas for Action and Collaboration


After the interim summary, youll make the transition to Part 2, about ideas for action and collaboration for making progress on the issue at hand. Explain: So far, weve been talking about different approaches to the issue at hand. Now, wed like people to end the discussion by focusing on where we should go from here. To do this, wed like you to address the following question: How can our community work together to make progress on the issue at hand? Recorder: Start a new sheet on the flip chart, with this sections title at the top.

Time: _______to_______

Prioritizing Actionable Ideas (10 minutes)

H. Prioritizing Actionable Ideas


First, tell the group that youd like each person to choose three ideas that he or she favors most. Give the group about a minute to consider the list, then ask each person to write down the number of his or her three favorite ideas. (If someone has only one or two favorites, thats fine.) Second, ask all participants to come up to the flip chart and place stickers next to each of the three ideas they favor. (As moderator, you should have a sheet of stickers to hand out to participants.) Having all participants mark their favorite ideas simultaneously makes it easier for people to express their own preferences without pressure from other group members. Third, after all participants have starred their favorites, pick the three with the most stars as the groups initial consensus. These should be the priorities reported in the closing plenary session, along with ideas for next steps.

Time: _______to_______

Identifying Next Steps (10 minutes)

I. Identifying Next Steps


In the final 5 to 10 minutes, work with the group on the theme of next steps, or How should we follow up on todays conversation? Tell them this final section will be organized around two questions one on steps for individuals to follow up on the discussion and one on how the Community Conversation process as a whole should move ahead. Note: If time is too short, skip the first question and use only question two. (Recorder: Put on the flip chart.) 1. Is there anything that you as individuals might do, or do differently, as a result of todays conversation? 2. What would you like to see happen to follow up on todays conversation? Facilitate this section in a round-robin style: Go around the circle, asking each group participant to share in turn. As needed, you can stimulate their thinking on question two by asking: Are there any particular aspects of todays subject that we need to come back together and spend more time on? (If so, what?) Are there other subjects that we should be discussing besides todays? How can we include more people in the conversation? Would that be a good idea? (Assuming this is the case) There were several strategic ideas in the last part of the discussion where there was a lot of common ground. How can we build on that?

When the discussion concludes, ask participants to fill out the surveys in their packets. Ask participants to fill out their surveys BEFORE returning to the large group, and to leave completed surveys with you. Please return all completed surveys you collect to the Community Conversation organizers. Also, be sure to remind people how important the final large group plenary is. Thats where everyone will have a chance to hear from the other groups and will talk as a large group about the best way to follow up this Community Conversation. As people return to the large group meeting place, work with your recorder to get your notes in order for the recap presentation, which will cover the three biggest priorities from the groups Part 2 discussion and ideas for next steps.

MODERATORS TIME CHART 60 minutes


Time: _______to_______ Time: _______to_______ Time: _______to_______

Part 1: General Discussion


Orientation, Introductions, Ground Rules (10 minutes) Review Choicework and Discuss (40 minutes) Interim Summary (10 minutes)
o o o Common Ground Concerns or Disagreements Outstanding Questions

50 minutes

Part 2: Bridging from Dialogue to Action


How Can our Community Work Together to Make Progress on the Issue at Hand?

Time: _______to_______ Time: _______to_______ Time: _______to_______

Brainstorming Ideas for Action & Collaboration (30 minutes) Prioritizing Actionable Ideas (10 minutes) Identifying Next Steps (10 minutes)

MODERATOR NOTES

Bridging from Dialogue to Action Report-Out


Top 3 Priorities: 1.

2.

3.

Next Steps:

Additional Notes

GUA PARA MODERAR


Informacin Acerca de Esta Gua
Public Agenda ha diseado esta gua para que sea utilizada junto con los materiales para debates disponibles. Los materiales para debates presentan varias maneras alternativas de enfocar este tema, diferentes ideas para que las personas las evalen y conversen sobre las mismas, o bien lo que Public Agenda llama Choicework. Esta es una forma efectiva de proporcionar a los ciudanos comunes una estructura que les permita abocar un tema bien complejo. Permite que la gente elija entre una variedad de valores opuestos, factores de ventajas y desventajas y desafos prcticos. Y debido a que dicha estructura se presenta en un lenguaje claro y libre de jergas, virtualmente hace que cualquier persona tenga la oportunidad de participar en los debates y encontrar su propia voz en los mismos. Esta gua ayudar a los moderadores y anotadores de debates para que comprendan los papeles que deben desempear y los guiar, paso a paso, a travs del proceso de las conversaciones.

Objetivos
El objetivo primordial de esta Conversacin Comunitaria es el de crear un dilogo productivo entre los miembros de un sector transversal y diverso de la comunidad, que permita: Establecer lneas de comunicacin entre miembros diversos de la comunidad. Compartir ideas y puntos de vista de este tema. Obrando de esta manera, nos concentraremos especficamente en identificar aquellas reas de inters mutuo, aclarar cualquier desacuerdo que haya e identificar preguntas e inquietudes.

Crear una tormenta de ideas y dar prioridad a las formas en que la comunidad pueden coordinar sus esfuerzos de la mejor manera para avanzar en el tema en cuestin.

Tareas y Objetivos del Moderador de Debates


Dentro del nivel ms bsico, la tarea del moderador es la de asegurarse que todos los participantes de un grupo de discusin pequeo comprenden de qu deben hablar, hacer que los debates no se desven de su punto de enfoque y que se lleven a cabo dentro del perodo de tiempo establecido. Ms all de esto, los moderadores deben hacer que los debates sean productivos y de que cuenten con la mayor participacin que resulte posible. Un moderador fructfero se sentir tranquilo si logra el objetivo de abrir un dilogo sin ninguna conclusin predeterminada. Para la credibilidad de un dilogo, es esencial que el moderador no controle los resultados de los debates y se mantenga neutral e imparcial. Por supuesto, el moderador tiene su propio programa con respecto al proceso de la reunin: el de hacer posible que se establezca un dilogo corts y constructivo entre los diversos miembros de la comunidad que no se comunican entre s con frecuencia. Pero no es el objetivo el de dirigir a nadie para que d una respuesta correcta. Si usted no piensa que puede ser objetivo o cree que podra ponerse a la defensiva o impacientarse al recibir respuestas incorrectas, entonces este papel no es el apropiado para usted. En general, los moderadores deben conocer los temas a tratar, pero no necesitan ser expertos en la materia. Nosotros aconsejamos el uso de un estilo de direccin natural y directo, ya que las tcnicas complicadas, como las de los talleres de trabajo, pueden dar la impresin de ser artimaas o intimidar a los participantes en este tipo de ambiente. Los moderadores actan ms bien como anfitriones capacitados que hacen lo posible para que todos se diviertan en la fiesta, pero sin llegar a ser el centro de atencin de los invitados. Los objetivos principales del moderador incluyen lo siguiente: Cerciorarse de que todos los integrantes del grupo comprendan bien cada punto. Ayudar a los participantes a explicar la razn por la cual se sienten de cierta manera. Por ejemplo, preguntndoles si experimentaron algo en particular que los llev a sus actuales puntos de vista. Sealar contradicciones y tensiones con respecto a las ideas que se estn debatiendo. Introducir en las discusiones una voz nueva a fin de enriquecer lo que se est diciendo. De vez en cuando, hacer un resumen de lo conversado y para volver a enfocar las discusiones. Introducir cualquier argumento importante que se haya omitido para ver qu piensa la gente al respecto.

Otros objetivos importantes del moderador: Crear un ambiente donde la gente se sienta cmoda expresando sus ideas.
Estas sesiones se preparan cuidadosamente a fin de proporcionar un ambiente en el cual la gente pueda explorar con franqueza su propia forma de pensar y las opiniones de otros y participar en dilogos constructivos y estimulantes acerca de las inquietudes pblicas de importancia. El moderador puede contribuir estableciendo para la sesin un tono que sea relajado, pero que no se aparte del objetivo de la reunin y un modelo de comunicacin franco y directo, pero que sea al mismo tiempo corts y respetuoso.

No permitir que ninguna persona o subgrupo domine el debate.


Especialmente al inicio de un debate, uno de los principales objetivos de los moderadores es el de involucrar al mayor nmero de personas que sea posible. Esto no significa hacer que todos participen por partes iguales sino, ms bien, crear una situacin donde todos tengan la oportunidad de hacerlo y, de vez en cuando, dirigirse a las personas que no hayan hablado para ver si tienen algo que desean agregar a la discusin. Dos desafos tpicos al respecto son los siguientes: (1) una personalidad dominante, que habla durante mucho tiempo o con tanta intensidad que los miembros menos dinmicos del grupo desaparecen detrs del escenario; y (2) aqullos que tienen ms experiencia y conocimiento y que simplemente estn mejor informados y pueden hablar a brazo tendido. Los moderadores no deben verse en la necesidad de controlar los temas mucho. Un error comn de los moderadores novicios es la de intervenir demasiado rpido si tienen la impresin de que una persona "se est pasando de su lnea. La experiencia nos ha enseado que es mejor dejar que las cosas se calmen un poco y permitir que el grupo reaccione y trate con la persona o la situacin en cuestin sin ninguna interferencia, lo cual es comnmente todo lo que se necesita. Sin embargo, los moderadores podrn verse en la necesidad de intervenir de vez en cuando a fin de mantener la conversacin abierta, constructiva y accesible a todos. Las normas bsicas que usted establecer para el debate le ayudarn a hacerlo.

Prestar ayuda para que las personas examinen sus propios puntos de vista, comprendan las opiniones de otros y se comuniquen con efectividad con los diversos miembros de la comunidad acerca de los temas.
En encuestas realizadas a la conclusin de un debate, la mayora de los participantes dijeron que haban escuchado opiniones que si bien eran diferentes a las suyas, tenan mrito y que haban reconsiderado

uno de sus propios puntos de vista por lo menos una vez. Los moderadores pueden hacer que esto sea factible animando a las personas a que examinen sus puntos de vista, los expresen y expliquen claramente y escuchen (y quiz respondan) a las opiniones de otros.

Aclarar cuestiones sobre el tema que se est tratando y seguir adelante con el estado del debate interno.
Una vez ms, el objetivo no es el de lograr que se llegue a un acuerdo perfecto. Ms bien, es el hacer posible que se lleve a cabo un debate positivo y estimulante entre partes iguales y que permita que las diversas opiniones sean expresadas y se analicen. De esta manera, esperamos que dialogando se definan:

Las reas de inters mutuo. Las inquietudes o desacuerdos importantes sobre los cuales se necesita continuar debatiendo. Los temas pendientes que merecen se les preste mayor atencin. Las formas en que la comunidad puede actuar en conjunto para avanzar en el tema en cuestin.

Una nota sobre conflictos entre los miembros del grupo


Con frecuencia, los moderadores que recin se inician temen que se presenten muchos conflictos. En cambio, hemos descubierto que los grupos, frecuentemente, hacen todo lo que est a su alcance para minimizar sus conflictos y los reencuadran como reas de inters mutuo. Esta manera de actuar puede hacer que las tensiones reales, a las cuales se les debe prestar atencin, queden escondidas artificialmente. Por consiguiente, es importante que los moderadores adopten una actitud de aceptacin con respecto a los conflictos y desacuerdos entre los miembros del grupo, una actitud que comunique lo siguiente: Esto es normal y de utilidad cuando se entiende. Los moderadores no debern tratar de alborotar a los miembros del grupo cuando estn en desacuerdo ni tampoco apartarse de ellos con timidez, sino ms bien ayudarlos para que identifiquen y aclaren cules son las reas del conflicto y del desacuerdo. Si el grupo en conjunto desea prestarle atencin a un conflicto en particular, los moderadores debern ayudar a los participantes para que avancen en una buena direccin tan realsticamente como sea posible, mediante una conversacin breve.

Papel del Anotador


Durante la reunin de un grupo pequeo, los anotadores debern tomar notas de los debates en rotafolios, liberando as a los moderadores de esa tarea para que se concentren en manejar el desarrollo del debate. La tarea del anotador es de crucial importancia: registrar los puntos principales que se tratan durante el curso de los debates de un grupo pequeo. Si bien no se espera que el anotador escriba todo lo que se dice textualmente, el mismo deber tratar de capturar la esencia de los puntos principales sealados por cada participante. Es de especial importancia registrar no solamente la posicin de cada persona (Estoy a favor de tal y tal cosa), sino tambin lo que piensa cada persona (Estoy a favor de tal y tal cosa porque...). Es igualmente importante que los anotadores hagan todo lo que est a su alcance para mantener afuera sus propios puntos de vista y registrar las sesiones tan fielmente como les sea posible. Algunos consejos prcticos: Usted desarrollar su tarea en un rotafolio para que el grupo pueda ver lo que est creando. En la primera hoja, asegrese de identificar al grupo cuyos debates est registrando y enumere las pginas a medida que vaya avanzando. No se moleste en anotar los nombres de las personas; solamente registre sus puntos de vista e ideas. Escriba en letras grandes y tan legiblemente como le sea posible, sin disminuir la velocidad. Ocasionalmente, podr pedirle al grupo o al moderador que aclare un punto determinado si no est bien claro para usted o si las cosas se han movido muy rpido. Idealmente hablando, usted podr remover cada pgina terminada y pegarla sobre la pared, de modo que los participantes puedan ver todas las pginas cuando estn listos para hacer un resumen de sus debates. Pero algunas habitaciones no tienen paredes que permitan obrar de ese modo y es importante que no omita nada. Entonces, si no puede montar las hojas sobre una pared, simplemente volteelas, colocndolas unas encimas de las otras, a medida que las llene y contine escribiendo. R

Estructura de los Debates de un Grupo Pequeo


La mayora de las Conversaciones Comunitarias comienzan con una comida liviana, seguida por palabras de bienvenida. A continuacin, los organizadores separan a los participantes en pequeos y diversos grupos de 12 a 14 personas para que revisen el "Choicework" y conversen sobre el tpico de que se trata. Cada uno de los grupos debe ser lo ms diverso que sea posible, no slo demograficamente sino tambin con respecto a las diferentes categoras de los miembros comunitarios que se encuentran presentes. La duracin total del debate de un grupo pequeo est diseado de tal modo que lleve un poco menos de dos horas. El moderador tiene la responsabilidad de manejar las conversaciones de un grupo pequeo. Hay dos fases principales, cada una provista de varios componentes: 60 minutos 10 minutos 40 minutos Primera Parte: Conversacin General Orientacin del grupo, presentaciones, normas bsicas Presentacin del video de Iniciacin de Conversaciones ("Choicework) y debate 10 minutos Resumen intermedio: Intereses mutuos, inquietudes o desacuerdos, cuestiones pendientes 50 minutos 30 minutos 10 minutos 10 minutos Segunda Parte: Del Dilogo a La Accin Intercambio de ideas para accin y colaboracin Ideas para accin, por orden de prioridad Identificacin de los prximos pasos a seguir

El resto de la presente gua lo llevar paso a paso a travs de cada una de las partes del debate en ms detalle.

PROCEDIMIENTOS DE DIRECCIN EN DETALLE


Primera Parte: Conversacin general acerca de los materiales de "Choicework" (60 minutos)
Para conversar sobre el primer tpico, se utiliza el material de Iniciacin de Conversaciones de Choicework" como punto de partida. A continuacin se presenta el procedimiento a seguir para manejar esta fase de las conversaciones de grupos pequeos:

Hora: _______hasta_______

Orientacin del Grupo, Presentaciones y Normas Bsicas (10 minutos)

A. Orientacin del Grupo


El moderador hace unos comentarios de apertura breves, explicando: Quin es l, y cul es el papel que desempea. El motivo por el cual nos estamos reuniendo (recalcando lo que se dijo en la sesin plenaria de apertura.) Lo que va a suceder dentro del grupo pequeo.

B. Presentaciones
Establezca una rueda de presentaciones que sea breve. Le recomendamos que haga un cuadro de los asientos para que sepa dnde estn sentadas las personas a medida que dirije el debate. Tome nota de si alguien es un miembro de la facultad, un padre, un propietario comercial local, un estudiante, etc. Esto lo ayudar a manejar el debate, especialmente al principio cuando se est esforzando para que todos participen. Nota: Si no se han hecho los preparativos necesarios para que est presente un anotador, entonces tendr que encontrar un voluntario.

C. Normas Bsicas
Hable de cualquier norma simple que quiera aplicar al debate. Por ejemplo, podr decir algo que se asemeje a lo siguiente: Actuemos en conjunto para que el debate se mantenga en perspectiva y para asegurarnos de todos tiene la misma oportunidad de hablar.

Nuestro deseo es que esta reunin sea un lugar donde la gente pueda expresar sus opiniones libremente y asimismo considere las de otros. Est bien si se est de acuerdo con otros, y tambin est bien si se est en desacuerdo. Solamente les pedimos que estn en desacuerdo con las ideas, no con las personas en s. En otras palabras, mantengamos esta reunin en forma constructiva y evitemos dirigirnos a otros negativamente de manera personal.

Estn listos para empezar?

Hora: _______hasta_______

Presentacin de "Choicework" y Debate (40 minutos)

D. Presentacin de los Materiales de "Choicework"


Es de gran ayuda presentar el material de Iniciacin de Conversaciones de "Choicework" de la siguiente manera: Para ayudarnos a que la conversacin empiece, vamos a leer un Choicework se presenta tres maneras opuestas de ver cul es la mejor manera de avansar en el tema en cuestin. Despus, les voy a preguntar cul es el punto de vista que ms se acerca al de ustedes y despus vamos a empezar a conversar sobre el mismo. Posiblemente ustedes tengan otras ideas que no aparecen en el video y de ser as, tambin podremos conversar sobre ellas. Refirase a participantes a su gua, que incluye una versin escrita de las materias. Si est usando un video de Choicework, participantes pueden seguir el video con un texto impreso, pero dgales que solamente necesitan mirar el video, que el texto escrito es meramente para aquellos que quieren referirse al mismo. A continuacin, ruede el video.

E. Inicio del Debate


Despus del video, comience explicndole a las personas que lo que recin han escuchado son tres planteamientos diferentes sobre la manera en que se puede ayudar a los estudiantes universarios de la comunidad a que tengan xito y que para empezar, les va a preguntar cul de esos planteamientos es el que ms se aproxima al criterio de ellos. Pdanle que levanten las manos: Cuntos se sienten ms inclinados por el Planteamiento 1? Cuntos se sienten ms inclinados por el Planteamiento 2? Cuntos se sienten ms inclinados por el Planteamiento 3?

Luego, empiece preguntndoles por qu se inclinaron de una manera u otra. De ese modo, usted ya est listo y las cosas estn en marcha. Asegrese de empezar con los que no son maestros (un padre o dos, un estudiante, un empleador) y luego traiga las voces de uno o ms educadores. Nuestro real objetivo en ese momento es hacer que las personas del grupo empiecen a pensar y a conversar entre s mismas. Si las personas solamente hablan con usted en calidad de moderador y no entre s mismas, puede resultarle til que conecte los puntos opuestos para que puedan reaccionar entre s mismas un poco. Por ejemplo, puede invitar a un proponente del Planteamiento 1 a que responda a un comentario hecho por un campen del Planteamiento 3. De ese modo, los integrantes del grupo se harn de la idea de que est bien reaccionar directamente a los comentarios de otros.

Hora: _______hasta_______

Resumen intermedio (10 minutos)

F. Resumen intermedio
Despus de la fase "Choicework" de su conversacin, tmese unos 10 minutos para trabajar con el grupo acerca de las tres preguntas resumen que se presentan a continuacin, preparadas para esta primera fase del debate. Anotador: Si todava no lo ha hecho, monte tres pginas del rotafolio caratuladas De inters mutuo, Inquietudes/desacuerdos y Cuestiones pendientes. (Recomendamos que se monten al principio para ahorrar tiempo y tambin porque pueden ser de utilidad durante el curso del debate.) Explquele al grupo que va a cubrir tres tpicos en forma de resumen dentro de un tiempo limitado y pdale a todos que se concentren. Empiece con la pregunta nmero uno, aunque podr saltar de una a otra a medida que la conversacin se desarrolla. En nuestra conversacin de hoy, hemos encontrado alguna causa en comn? En qu estamos de acuerdo o qu tenemos en comn? Cales fueron las cosas que nos inquietaron o sobre las cuales no estuvimos de acuerdo, cosas sobre las cuales debamos continuar conversando para combatir nuestras diferencias y poder seguir adelante? Cales son las cuestiones pendientes a las que es necesario prestarle mayor atencin? Hay tpicos respecto de los cuales necesitamos obtener mayor informacin?

Recomendaciones para el manejo del resumen intermedio Importante: Brevemente, procese cada una de las sugerencias hechas por un miembro del grupo a fin de asegurarse de que la mayora de las personas se sienten cmodas en que se las anote en una de las hojas del rotafolio. Por ejemplo, podr preguntar Estn todos de acuerdo de que sa era un rea de inters mutuo? antes de colocarla en la hoja. Si el asunto no puede ser resuelto rpidamente, puede llegar a ser una cuestin sobre la cual se necesita continuar conversando para despus colocarla en el cuadro correspondiente a Preguntas/Inquietudes. Es importante en esta etapa no animar a las personas que presenten materiales nuevos, ya que se trata de resumir la conversacin anterior, no empezar una nueva. Este es el momento en que podr introducir sus propias observaciones, como as tambin podr hacerlo el anotador. Por ejemplo, si al grupo se le escap algn punto de desacuerdo que usted recuerda claramente, podr decir Me parece recordar que hubo desacuerdo con respecto a ________. Es as o no?

No es necesario que la gente est de acuerdo en un 100% para poder anotar algo en la categora de Inters Mutuo, nicamente que la mayora est de acuerdo. Los puntos de vista de la minora por lo general se pueden anotar en la lista de Preguntas Pendientes.

Segunda Parte: Del Dilogo a La Accin


Hora: _______hasta_______ Intercambio de ideas para accin y colaboracin
(30 minutos)

G. Intercambio de ideas para accin y colaboracin


Despus del resumen intermedio, deber hacer la transicin a la Segunda Parte, que se trata de Ideas para accin y colaboracin para avansar en el tema en cuestin. Explique lo siguiente: So far, weve been talking about different approaches to the issue at hand. Hasta ahora, hemos hablado de diferentes enfoques para el tema en cuestin. Ahora, nos gustara que terminen el debate pensando adnde deberamos ir desde aqu en adelante. Para ello, nos gustara que aborden la siguiente pregunta: Cmo puede nuestra comunidad contribuir mejor en conjunto para avansar en el tema en cuestin?

Anotador: Empiece una hoja nueva en el rotafolio y escriba el ttulo de esta seccin en la parte superior.

Hora: _______hasta_______

Ideas para accin, por orden de prioridad (10 minutos)

H. Ideas para accin, por orden de prioridad


Primero, dgale al grupo que le gustara que cada persona elija las tres ideas que ms le agrada. Dele al grupo alrededor de un minuto para que evale la lista, luego pdale a cada persona que escriba el nmero correspondiente a sus tres ideas favoritas. (Si alguien tiene solamente una o dos ideas favoritas, eso es suficiente.) Segundo, pdale a los participantes que se acerquen al rotafolio y coloquen una etiqueta engomada al lado de cada una de las tres ideas que ms le agradan. (Como moderador, tendr que tener a su disposicin una hoja de etiquetas engomadas para dar a los participantes.) Note que le es ms fcil a las personas expresar sus propias preferencias sin la presin de los otros miembros del grupo si hace que los participantes marquen sus ideas favoritas simultneamente. Tercero, despus de que todos los participantes hayan colocado estrellas al lado de sus ideas favoritas, elija las tres que tengan ms estrellas como el consenso inicial del grupo. stas sern las prioridades a ser informadas en la sesin plenaria de cierre, junto con las ideas correspondientes a los prximos pasos.

Hora: _______hasta_______

Identificacin de los prximos pasos a seguir


(10 minutos)

I. Identificacin de los prximos pasos a seguir


Durante el curso de los 5 a 10 minutos finales, trabaje con el grupo sobre el tema de los prximos pasos a seguir, o bien Cmo podramos darle seguimiento a la conversacin de hoy? Dgales que esta seccin final ser organizada alrededor de dos preguntas: una, sobre lo que las personas pueden hacer para dar seguimiento al debate; y otra, sobre la forma en que el proceso de la Conversacin Comunitaria en su totalidad, deber continuar. Nota: Si el perodo de tiempo que le queda es demasiado corto, omita la primera pregunta y utilice solamente la segunda.( Anotador: Ponga el rotafolio a la vista.) 1. Hay algo que ustedes, como personas, podran hacer, o hacer de una manera diferente como resultado de la conversacin que mantuvimos hoy?

2. Qu les agradara ver que ocurra para dar seguimiento a la conversacin de hoy? Dirija esta parte del debate con las personas sentadas en un crculo alrededor suyo. Vaya alrededor del crculo y pdale a cada participante del grupo que comparta su ideas cuando le toca el turno. Si es necesario, podr estimularlos para que piensen acerca de la pregunta nmero dos, preguntndoles lo siguiente: Hay algn aspecto en particular del tema tratado en el da de hoy sobre el cual necesitamos volver a conversar juntos y al que le debemos dedicar ms tiempo? (De ser as, cul es?) Hay otros temas que deberamos abordar, adems de los que cubrimos hoy? Cmo podramos incluir a ms personas en el debate? Cul sera una buena idea? (Suponiendo que ste es el caso): En la ltima parte de la conversacin, hubo varias ideas estratgicas de inters mutuo. Cmo podramos usarlas? Una vez concluida la conversacin, pdale a los participantes que llenen la encuesta que se encuentra en sus paquetes. Pdale a los participantes que llenen la encuesta ANTES de volver a reunirse con el grupo grande y que se las entreguen a usted. Srvase devolver todas las encuestas llenas que haya recogido a los organizadores de la Conversacin Comunitaria. Asimismo, asegrese de recordarle a la gente que el plenario final del grupo grande es muy importante. Que ah es donde todos tendrn la oportunidad de enterarse de lo que opinan los otros grupos y conversar, como grupo grande, sobre la mejor forma de dar seguimiento a la Conversacin Comunitaria de ese da. Cuando la gente se haya ido para reunirse con el grupo grande, trabaje junto con su anotador para poner las notas en orden y usarlas en la disertacin de recapitulacin, la cual cubrir las tres prioridades principales del grupo durante la segunda parte del debate e ideas para los prximos pasos a seguir.

HORARIO DE TRABAJO DEL MODERADOR 60 minutos


Hora: _______hasta_______ Hora: _______hasta_______ Hora: _______hasta_______

Primera Parte: Conversacin General


Orientacin, presentaciones, normas bsicas (10 minutos) Presentacin del "Choicework" y debate (40 minutos) Resumen Intermedio (10 minutos)
o o o Intereses Mutuos Inquietudes o Desacuerdos Cuestiones Pendientes

50 minutos
Hora: _______hasta_______ Hora: _______hasta_______ Hora: _______hasta_______

Segunda Parte: Del Dilogo a La Accin


Intercambio de ideas para accin y colaboracin (30 minutos) Ideas para accin, por orden de prioridad (10 minutos) Identificacin de los prximos pasos a seguir (10 minutos)

NOTAS DEL MODERADOR

Informe correspodiente a "Desde el Dilogo a La Accin"


Tres prioridades principales: 1.

2.

3.

Prximos pasos a seguir:

Notas Adicionales

82

APPENDIX 3: HOST GUIDE

83

HOST GUIDE
The Hosts Role
The main tasks that the host must manage are convening and facilitating the opening and closing plenary sessions and explaining to the participants what to expect during the course of the evening.

I. Moderating the Opening Plenary Session


The following overview is intended to help you host the opening plenary session of the Community Conversation. You may modify the content or the timing to fit appropriately within your event: 5 minutes: Welcome, statement of purpose and a few words of gratitude and encouragement for the participants. 10 minutes: Brief presentation about the community, the context of the engagement initiative, or any other information vital for setting the stage for productive, relevant dialogue. 5 minutes: Nuts-and-Bolts overview of the session.

Nuts-and-Bolts Overview
After the host has welcomed everyone to the event and the few speakers have made their addresses, its time to explain the flow of the evening. The basic message is, Now that youve been welcomed and have some idea why were here, Im going to tell you how were going to accomplish our goals tonight. It is generally useful to emphasize the following pointsalthough if earlier speakers cover some of them, you can edit. Use whatever language works best for you, of course, and leave yourself 5 to 10 minutes. Well be moving into small groups in a few minutes, where the real work of the session will take place. Youll notice that on your nametag is a [number, letter, color]. That tells you which group youll be going to. [Give directions as needed.] In each group youll find a cross section of your community, a moderator [or moderators] who will help keep the conversation moving along, a recorder to keep a record of the major points being made and a 10-minute video that will help you get the discussion started.

The goal is to have an honest exchange of views among a diverse cross section of the community on the important issue at hand. Through this Community Conversation, we will identify areas of common ground, as well as those areas where we disagree or need more information. We do not expect to arrive at a perfect consensus or a complete action plan at the end of one meeting, but we do think we can take an important step toward greater consensus and toward developing ways of working together that can help our community make progress on the issue at hand.

Were hoping for a dialogue thats frank and honest and thats also positive, constructive. We urge you to take the time to listen to one another, try to understand one anothers points of views and, if you disagree, to disagree with ideas, not with individuals. Most of all, enjoy yourselves and make the most of this opportunity to learn from one another.

After your small group discussion, well all come back together for a short ending session here to compare notes and talk about follow-up and where we go from here. If you have any questions about the session, your moderator will be able to help you with themor talk to anyone whose name tag reads Staff.

II. Moderating the Closing Plenary Session


Welcome the group back together and assure them that this final session will move quickly and involve two items: 1. Brief reports from each group. 2. Closing remarks to thank participants and speak about whatever follow-up is planned.

Reporting Out
Its your job as host to facilitate the reporting-out process, whereby the recorder or moderator of each group reports back the highlights of its discussion once the small groups are over. We recommend that the report-outs cover the following items only: Top three priorities for action Next steps for forum follow-up

We recommend the following procedure for small group reports: All recorders and moderators (or conversation participants if they are doing the reportout) should convene at the front of the room near the microphone, with the

appropriate notes ready to go. Remind the audience that these reports will describe a few highlights and that a fuller report on the conversation will be forthcoming. Choose one person to begin the reporting (where there are good notes and the person who will be handling the report is confident). This individual will give the most complete report of his or her groups discussion of priorities for action and ideas for next steps (in 3 minutes or less). The person reporting should identify his or her group before launching into the report. Each subsequent group report will add a few highlights concerning similarities or differences from the first report, but go into less detail. In this way, you keep the reports fresh and avoid the tiresome repetition that can take place. As the reports are being made, have one of the recorders keep a master list of next steps, so that at the end of the series of reports you, as host, can review the next steps list for the whole group, emphasizing the most common themes. Make sure that all the notes from the small groupsand especially their report-out notesare collected for the post-conversation report that the Follow-Up workgroup will be responsible for.

Closing Remarks
Some basic talking points for the closing remarks might include the following: Thank the participants for their time and effort in attending the Community Conversation. Emphasize again (as was done in the opening plenary) that notes from the small groups and the surveys will be summarized and distributed to participants. If other follow-up activities are already planned that you are aware of, make sure to let participants know about those as well. Optional: If you have a portable microphone or microphone stand stationed in the audience, or if the group is not too large, you can ask if anyone from the audience would like to make any comments. This can lead to some final thoughts about what people thought about the session and where they think the process should go next. Again urge participants to drop off their surveys before leaving. These should have been distributed to participants as they returned from their small groups.

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